Falling Trees

[Mike Adams]

Hi

Has anyone any experience of Trees falling on their boat? There is large tree on the towpath side opposite my mooring where a large bough fell off last week and blocked the towpath. The tree looks healthy but I know nothing about trees. If the whole tree were to come down it would wreck my boat and I am not sure of the insurance/liability implications.

I do know that when a tree fell on student's car where I used to work the buildings/site insurance refused to pay out and the student could not make a claim it being seen as an Act of God or some such thing.

[tree monkey]

7 minutes ago, Mike Adams said:

Hi

Has anyone any experience of Trees falling on their boat? There is large tree on the towpath side opposite my mooring where a large bough fell off last week and blocked the towpath. The tree looks healthy but I know nothing about trees. If the whole tree were to come down it would wreck my boat and I am not sure of the insurance/liability implications.

I do know that when a tree fell on student's car where I used to work the buildings/site insurance refused to pay out and the student could not make a claim it being seen as an Act of God or some such thing.

I have a bit of experience.

 

The answer is, it depends, assuming the landowner can show they have inspected the trees sufficiently and acted appropriately as far as reasonably practical   it does tend to be considered "act of god", massively simplified though.

 

Hope this helps and happy to answer more questions or try to clarify further if possible 

[mark99]

Get your retaliation in first.

 

Alert whoever owns it in writing.

[MtB]

6 minutes ago, mark99 said:

Get your retaliation in first.

 

Alert whoever owns it in writing.

 

How do you find out who owns a tree?

 

 

[tree monkey]

11 minutes ago, mark99 said:

Get your retaliation in first.

 

Alert whoever owns it in writing.

Unless its obviously in a poor condition there is not much point tbh.

5 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

How do you find out who owns a tree?

 

 

Land registry or local knowledge 

[MtB]

Just now, tree monkey said:

Unless its obviously in a poor condition there is not much point tbh.

Land registry or local knowledge 

 

I suspect it will be the National Trust or Surrey CC given where the OP moors. Can you use the LR to determine ownership of a parcel of land without a postcode?

 

 

[tree monkey]

5 minutes ago, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

I suspect it will be the National Trust or Surrey CC given where the OP moors. Can you use the LR to determine ownership of a parcel of land without a postcode?

 

 

Been a while but I don't think a postcode is required, if its NT they will have an inspection program, Surrey should but some councils are a bit slack, I don't know about Surreys program 

[bizzard]

Write a letter.   Dear God, you naughty feller,  please stop acting.   Yours  indignantly

[mark99]

Woking........ could be Hants CC? or Surrey CC. (Basingstoke Canal?).

Edited October 2, 2019 by mark99

[Mike Adams]

Thanks

It's Surrey County Council who own the land. Would my boat insurance pay out on what would be a 'right off' I suspect.

[bizzard]

The London Plane trees are a marvel of nature. We have a row of them from  which sometimes branches blow off.  I collect and saw them up into smalll logs, when you think they are perfectly dry like after the summer, they're not at all. Peal off the bark and between the bark and the actual wood is a thin stringy fibreous material. this is still soaking wet. These tree seem to collect their moisture mainly through their branches and twigs rather than their roots.  Why I suppose they survive living on the London Thames embankment with paving stones close around their base.

[MtB]

2 minutes ago, bizzard said:

Why I suppose they survive living on the London Thames embankment with paving stones close around their base.

 

They must get quite scared with all those cyclist whizzing by, as being trees they cannot jump out of the way...

 

 

[tree monkey]

8 minutes ago, bizzard said:

The London Plane trees are a marvel of nature. We have a row of them from  which sometimes branches blow off.  I collect and saw them up into smalll logs, when you think they are perfectly dry like after the summer, they're not at all. Peal off the bark and between the bark and the actual wood is a thin stringy fibreous material. this is still soaking wet. These tree seem to collect their moisture mainly through their branches and twigs rather than their roots.  Why I suppose they survive living on the London Thames embankment with paving stones close around their base.

You might suppose that  :)

 

agreed marvelous trees, couple of possible issues with them though that could see a major reduction in numbers, see what's happening in the continent 

Edited October 2, 2019 by tree monkey

[bizzard]

Just now, Mike the Boilerman said:

 

They must get quite scared with all those cyclist whizzing by, as being trees they cannot jump out of the way...

 

 

They are really there because they grow quite tall which is intended to keep the planes homing in on Heathrow up nice and high up to help the polution. If they flew any lower they would have to pay the London  congestion and polution charge, Any lower and their registration numbers would be photographed.

[mark99]

The largest Plane tree's I have seen are next to  (and scattered down the valley of) the River Wandle.

 

They like a bit of water.

Edited October 2, 2019 by mark99

[mark99]

[bizzard]

9 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

You might suppose that  :)

 

agreed marvelous trees, couple of possible issues with them though that could see a major reduction in numbers, see what's happening in the continent 

I suppose they must suck up most of their moisture through their roots but seem to store it between the bark and the wood to quench their thirst through the dry spells. Once dried it burns well and makes excellent kindling,  To kiln dry it. Place a heap of it in the bottom of your oven when baking you roast dinners.

Edited October 2, 2019 by bizzard

[mark99]

 

Both images from next to the Wandle and there are a couple more monsters.

Edited October 2, 2019 by mark99

[Leo No2]

26 minutes ago, Mike Adams said:

Thanks

It's Surrey County Council who own the land. Would my boat insurance pay out on what would be a 'right off' I suspect.

Mike - assuming it is on the Basingstoke you could make contact with James Taylor from SCC who now has repsonsibilty for the canal and luckily also works for SCC. I do have his email address but you could also obtain it from the Canal centre in Mytchett.

[tree monkey]

29 minutes ago, Mike Adams said:

Thanks

It's Surrey County Council who own the land. Would my boat insurance pay out on what would be a 'right off' I suspect.

That would depend on your Insurance and the responsibility/liability of the tree owner I would think.

 

[WotEver]

28 minutes ago, tree monkey said:

...couple of possible issues with them though that could see a major reduction in numbers, see what's happening in the continent 

 

[tree monkey]

Just now, WotEver said:

 

I know the chap In the video.

 

Yup that's

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Splanchnonema_platani

Which at least we can manage.

 

It's this one

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ceratocystis_platani

Which is really nasty, it's the reason so many are being or have been felled in Europe

 

[Murflynn]

for canal and tree lovers everywhere - even the Welsh !!   

 

it is actually on the towpath.  if you're passing by on the Mon and Brec just hope it doesn't blow down in the wind.

 

http://www.redwoodworld.co.uk/picturepages/llangattock.htm

[cuthound]

1 hour ago, mark99 said:

Get your retaliation in first.

 

For a moment I thought you were recommending the OP buys a chainsaw ?

Edited October 2, 2019 by cuthound
To snip the quoted post

[tree monkey]

3 hours ago, Mike Adams said:

Hi

Has anyone any experience of Trees falling on their boat? There is large tree on the towpath side opposite my mooring where a large bough fell off last week and blocked the towpath. The tree looks healthy but I know nothing about trees. If the whole tree were to come down it would wreck my boat and I am not sure of the insurance/liability implications.

I do know that when a tree fell on student's car where I used to work the buildings/site insurance refused to pay out and the student could not make a claim it being seen as an Act of God or some such thing.

Insurance aside and I have no knowledge of your particular tree but it's not that uncommon for trees to shed limbs and it doesn't always mean it's likely to fail completely or even shed another large limb.

For sure it needs checking  but I wouldn't be immediately concerned