One of our consultants undertook a safety survey at a site in Manchester for a client who had concerns about the health and safety of the tree at a neighbouring property.
The tree in question was a mature Lombardy Poplar and it was situated close to the boundary on the adjacent property. The base of the stem was growing against the low boundary wall at the front of both properties and causing structural damage to the brickwork.
After a thorough inspection, although the tree was considered to be in an acceptable condition at the time of inspection, the defects which were observed may render it unsafe in the future. Our consultant recommended that our client advised the owner of the tree to firstly have a decay detection test (sonic tomography) carried out to investigate the extent of the decay within the stem which was discovered during inspection. It was also noted that the owner should monitor the defects at the next inspection which should be carried out during the autumn to check for evidence of wood decaying fungi.