Elm tree help

[Dave Baker]

When I bought my current house 2 years ago there was a lovely grove of elm trees on the adjacent land across the whole northern boundary which completely isolated it visually from the farmhouse 50 yards away and 30 feet higher up the slope we live on here. It was like looking out onto a woodland and was a big part of why I bought the place.

Davey the farmer asked me some time ago if I had any objections to him trimming the trees to give him and his wife a better view out over the countryside over the top of them past my house. They're his trees and he can do what he likes with them and I wouldn't dream of interfering and was grateful to even be asked but we agreed a trimming height which made no odds to my view of his house and let him look over the top of them. However he's not just lopped the tops off, he's cut every bloody branch off lower down so all that's left is bare trunks. It now looks like the aftermath of a meteor impact or atomic bomb explosion. There's no cover at all. I can see right through to their place and vice versa.

How long will it take for branches to grow back and leaves to start obscuring the view again? I'm guessing many years. Anything we can do to make this happen faster or encourage branch growth on the bare stems?

[Scott M]

(Ok! ok! Coat's on its way.)

[Bill Taylor]

Don't know about elm, but most native trees will regrow very quickly.

Established coppice stools of things like willow, ash or chestnut can easily put on a couple of metres re-growth in a year. As long as he doesn't grub up the stumps I wouldn't worry too much.

[Nightjar]

The best way to encourage vigorous growth is to cut back hard :-)

From what I have read, the tree is likely to regain the original leaf mass in about three years.

Colin Bignell

[Nick]

Well, I think if you have (had) a stand of elm you are bloody lucky. Most elm was killed off 30yrs ago ish. As you say, they are the owners trees to do with what he will. Little you can do to right the situation. They may/may not grow back. If you're feeling bloody minded plant a dense row of leylandii (spit) or if you want some long term investment plant a mix of oak and walnut. Otherwise beech, sycamore etc. Willow & alder unlikely to thrive as you are on a slope. Ash, the king of woods, would be my preference but sadly is suffering at the moment. Having said that, you could plant a load of elm and ash. In years to come a bodgers delight. Nick.

[Dave Baker]

Still going strong up here in north east Scotland. The cold weather kills the Dutch Elm bugs as I understand it.

[F Murtz]

Are they slippery?

[John Rumm]

It sounds like he has pollarded the properly - so they will keep a better shape than had he just taken the top off. Regrowth is usually fairly rapid - I expect it will look quite decent after a couple of growth seasons. You will probably even see a decent change by the end of the summer.

[The Natural Philosopher]

+1. here they did a line if cherry trees that were in danger of shorting some power cables. a year later they are bushy lollipops.

[harryagain]

They will make very rapid growth, multiple "stalks" probably four or five feet in a year. It could be the whole trunk will be covered in stalks if he has cut everything off. It may well look like a giant hedge in two or three years.

?p=pollarded+elm+trees&fr=sfp&fr2=sb-top&ei=utf-8&n=60&x=wrt&y=Search

[Graham.]

And awful hard to climb.