# Vote whether I should cut my tree down or not



## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

I am contemplating cutting this tree down. My lawn is tiny and doing so will open up the space, make it look bigger, and make mowing easier. No more edging, no ruts around the tree, no mulch spilling out etc. However, it is a nice tree and I'm wondering if I'll regret it if I do cut it down. I'm wondering what you guys think.

How do I do a poll in here? I can't seem to find the feature.


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## Powhatan (Dec 15, 2017)

You've already listed reasons to steer your decision to remove the tree. The only thing you listed going for the tree is that it's nice. Imagine a large mature tree in 10 to 15 years in that small space, will it still be nice then?


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## Lawn Noob (Jul 26, 2020)

Demo the tree.


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## Old Hickory (Aug 19, 2019)

SAVE THE TREE

Excuse me... but why care for your kids? Why care for your dog? Why care for your goldfish? Why make the bed? Why brush your teeth? Why care for your lawn?

Why do we do anything?

I hope you keep it. You've kept it healthy and it looks nice in your lawn.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

Powhatan said:


> You've already listed reasons to steer your decision to remove the tree. The only thing you listed going for the tree is that it's nice. Imagine a large mature tree in 10 to 15 years in that small space, will it still be nice then?


Yeah I realized that as I was typing it lol. Not sure how much bigger this tree gets. I believe it's a Japanese lilac.


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## northwoods-lawn (Sep 9, 2020)

The tree looks to be maybe 6-8 years old. Depending on how long the tap root is, you could possible transplant the tree to the backyard? It is fairly close to the driveway, and in-time will uplift the concrete.


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## SNOWBOB11 (Aug 31, 2017)

Good to hear from you @llO0DQLE. It's been a while. Oh, by the way, cut the tree down :nod:


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## Thejarrod (Aug 5, 2018)

Trees are the natural enemy of grass. i know where my loyalties lie.


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## nclawnguy (Jun 27, 2017)

Its going to look ridiculous in a few years. I love trees...in correct places.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

SNOWBOB11 said:


> Good to hear from you @llO0DQLE. It's been a while. Oh, by the way, cut the tree down :nod:


Thanks Bob. I've been away for a couple years. Glad to be back!


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

northwoods-lawn said:


> The tree looks to be maybe 6-8 years old. Depending on how long the tap root is, you could possible transplant the tree to the backyard? It is fairly close to the driveway, and in-time will uplift the concrete.


It's at least 8 years old from what I know. No place in the backyard for it.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

Thejarrod said:


> Trees are the natural enemy of grass. i know where my loyalties lie.


Hahaha I like the way you think.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

nclawnguy said:


> Its going to look ridiculous in a few years. I love trees...in correct places.


Yeah I don't think a lawn this small should have a tree in the middle. Stupid HOA rules. We got the property second hand so it was already there. But afaik the HOA doesn't care if it's not a new build and the house was built in 2008.


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## tommyboy (Aug 20, 2019)

If nothing else, remove it for security. Blocks your front door. Burglars dream.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

tommyboy said:


> If nothing else, remove it for security. Blocks your front door. Burglars dream.


Actually I was thinking that as well


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## jd thomas (Oct 29, 2020)

Yeah, that's too small a space for that tree, any tree really because, is that your front door behind it? It's blocking the sightline to the front door and making your house seem "uninviting" mentally.

If you don't want to cut it down or move it yourself, you could offer it free on craigslist or the like to anybody who'll come dig it out. A tree already that size would probably be a couple hundred dollars at a nursery.


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## john5246 (Jul 21, 2019)

It's too large for that area, move it somewhere else and put something else in that spot


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

jd thomas said:


> Yeah, that's too small a space for that tree, any tree really because, is that your front door behind it? It's blocking the sightline to the front door and making your house seem "uninviting" mentally.
> 
> If you don't want to cut it down or move it yourself, you could offer it free on craigslist or the like to anybody who'll come dig it out. A tree already that size would probably be a couple hundred dollars at a nursery.


What would that entail? I fear that they would end up digging too big a hole and wrecking my lawn. And yes, I agree that it doesn't look good blocking the door.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

john5246 said:


> It's too large for that area, move it somewhere else and put something else in that spot


No other place to move it. And if I remove it I'd rather not put something in its place.


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## Miggity (Apr 25, 2018)

If you can find someone who wants the tree there are companies with a large truck mounted spade that can pluck the tree out alive and replant it elsewhere. Have the person who wants the tree pay for it's removal and transport in exchange for the tree. The soil and grass to fill the large hole left can come from where the tree will be replanted as a giant plug using the same spade.


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

I quickly looked into that just now and it sounds fairly complex and expensive. I am also concerned that a big excavation on my lawn will cause levelling issues I will have to work on for a number of years, as well as disturbance of the soil structure, biology etc. Thanks for the suggestion though. It does seem a bit sad to kill a beautiful tree. But I love my grass and lawn more lol.


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## Cluelessone (Sep 23, 2020)

I'm a tree hugger (planting 6 new ones this year) and I'd cut that sucker down. It looks silly there! What a shame, it is a beautiful tree!


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## RkFast (Nov 10, 2020)

Trees are for forests, not house properties. One they get over 10 feet tall, they are nothing but trouble.


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## Lust4Lawn (Aug 4, 2020)

That tree is going to be way too large in that space in 3-5 years and you are going to want to take it out anyway. If you wanted to put a dwarf tree in the same location like a weeping cherry or some kind of Japanese maple you could keep some kind of ornamental feature there.


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## jd thomas (Oct 29, 2020)

For digging it out, I was imagining a team of three or four could probably hand dig the root ball out and get it into a truck to haul away - didn't think it would necessarily take a crane or anything, but maybe I'm underestimating it. Yeah, the grass in that area would get torn up a bit, but it would be repairable.


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## Jpav (Oct 7, 2020)

I got a chainsaw can I keep the wood. If you want to keep you need to prune it


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

I think I'm just gonna borrow my buddy's chainsaw and go to town. I'll take the suggestion from my other thread to just cut the stump as flush to the ground as possible and just let it rot over time. I'll probably wait until July or August to do this so I can enjoy one more bloom out of it this year.


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## 440mag (Jan 29, 2018)

I may have missed it but, WHAT KIND (SPECIES) of tree is it?


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## llO0DQLE (Dec 4, 2017)

Japanese Lilac


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