melaleuca bracteata? (forum)

alison starts with ...
I (did) have a large melaleuca specimen tree in my garden which my nextdoor neighbour's tree lopping firm chopped down to about half its size when I was out at work one day (came onto my property to do it). I am trying to get an idea of what tree I actually had. It looks very much like the melaleuca revolution gold but was about 10 to 15 metres tall (now about 6 metres tall). Any ideas what I have?? Also, do you know where I can get a quote for a metre high tree for replanting - I dont want to start with tube stock. Finally, will a tree of this type survive and completely recover from a topping ie they have removed every single upper branch and the complete canopy - leaving only a few scrappy lower branches here and there - it is a complete clustercuss. Look forward to hearing from anyone who can assist.

Time: 9th August 2011 3:35pm

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About the Author alison6
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amanda says...
Geez alison - that's appalling! Was the canopy on your neighbours side? I would have been livid.

Anyway - not sure about which type of Mel' it is without a pic. They do have epicormic buds and it should shoot again. It might take time for it to form a nice canopy.

I don't know how strong the epicormic shoots/branches will be though (with eucalytps they can have a weakened branch-trunk union) you may need to ask someone with experience with bush fire regeneration or such.

Nurseries can order in advanced trees - even Bunnings can do this too.

So sorry to hear about your tree - it must have been a beauty at that height :-(

Time: 10th August 2011 9:18am

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VLR says...
I don't know whether it's worth a try but maybe contact your local council and try to get a free one by explaining what your neighbour did? My council does a free street tree planting program in winter and there are some Melaleuca species on their list. They planted a Tuart tree on my verge and it's well over a metre high (though it's nearly dead, I'm not sure but it looks like it was sprayed with something?).

Time: 10th August 2011 11:52am

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alison says...
Hello and thanks for the emails. I can only describe my feelings on seeing my tree as despair and utter desolation. The tree was entirely on my side of the fence, as was the canopy - around 6 metres inside my boundary. The guys came on to my land to chop all the branches off at about 4 metres below the canopy and kindly left one huge one littering my garden. They also left odd ugly long side branches on the lower levels - the aim of this exercise was to remove an obstacle from the afternoon light hitting the new solar panels on the new extension to their house. They have just moved in a couple of weeks ago!!!!!!!!!!!!! They of course have blamed the loppers and the loppers arrived at my doorstep this morning to tell me that my new neighbours are liars. It is all pretty horrendous. I have reported it all to the Tree Guild and am now taking steps to get some kind of compensation for trespass and damages to my formerly beautiful, shady, screening tree which also provided wind shelter and a haven for birds and wild life and gave a glorious scent throughout the year.

I now understand from the council that the lopping of my tree is also completely against the australian standard for pruning of amenity trees - and that the new branches if they form will be whip like and dangerous and my tree will have to now be topped continually. Itis no longer viable as an amenity tree.

Please take this as a warning - if you see your neighbour with tree loppers in thier garden, stay at home and make sure your own property and trees are not on their list.

Time: 10th August 2011 11:04pm

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alison says...
Have got a couple of pictures of the tree as it now is to attack
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 10th August 2011 11:07pm

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alison says...
Sorry - attach, not attack
Pictures - Click to enlarge

Picture: 1

Time: 10th August 2011 11:10pm

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amanda says...
Well - I'd take legal action and make a fuss. That should never happen - full stop. The tree loppers should have had verified written permission to come on your property and do that. Probably cowboys...

(ps - it looks like a Rottnest Island tea tree...M.lanceolata? Have u had it id'd ?

Time: 11th August 2011 12:17am

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Grant says...
That is disgusting Alison. I would not tolerate that at all. Legal action for certain.

Time: 11th August 2011 7:30am

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Jimmy says...
It will probably die, usually if the neighbours are that keen they will have painted the cut surfaces with roundup.

Time: 11th August 2011 10:57am

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Jimmy says...
My nieghbour about 10 houses down chopped his similar tree down to help the neighbours out, its pretty wrong to plant a tree of that height next to somebodies fence ie looks about 1m, some of the foliage is always going to hang over the nieghbours place. If you had planted it 6m from the fence I would have no worries with it.

Time: 11th August 2011 11:01am

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Haakon says...
I agree with Amanda it looks like Melaleuca lanceolata. I think it will grow back easily but how long it will take to get its graceful natural form back is another question.
Neighbours obviously arent interested in neighbourlyness.

Time: 11th August 2011 10:19pm

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Lancelot says...
Here is a tale of two neighbours, like the two mice in a tale of two cities I sahll compare and contrast:

Time: 12th August 2011 8:21am

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Lancelot says...
Here is a tale of two neighbours, like the two mice in a tale of two cities I sahll compare and contrast:

Time: 12th August 2011 8:21am

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Lancelot says...
Judging by the fact that I can see solar panels and that they are generally installed on the North(ish) side, the tree is on the south side of the owners block. Thus, they have a nice big tree, does not really shade their place, nice and green and is generally a joy to own.

They do not care if some protrudes over the fence or causes any problems for the neighbours as they are not experiencing any of the problems on their side.


Time: 12th August 2011 8:24am

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Lancelot says...
On the neighbours side, they have a large tall tree on their North(ish) side.

This tree shades their block for most of winter, they can't grow a lawn succesfully, have moss growing on pavers and the house and garden are always damp and cold due to the shading. Worst of all, the shade tolerant solar panels that cost a bomb are not shade tolerant like the salesman said.


Time: 12th August 2011 8:27am

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Lancelot says...
The options:

Do nothing and suffer the problems of a tree that they did not want or plant and hangs over the fence occupying their space with it's canopy volume.

The legal way: chop the tree on an imaginary line straight up from the fenceline and suffer the fact that it looks shocking, the 101 cut ends will keep sprouting and take a lot of maintenance. All clippings returned to the neighbour as the tree is their property.

Next option: cut back to logical points on the tree such as branching points to make the aesthetics better and to reduce work.

Next Option: Skelotinise, not gonna make the neighbours happy ! As well seen.

Alternative poison the bugger and hope they replace it with a smaller tree.

None of the choices are very good, but as said before, if the tree was planted ina spot where only the extremities of the canopy approached the fenceline, none of this would have ocurred.

One of my pet peeves is people that plant trees of large finsihed size right against the fence thus forcing the neighbours to share a tree in whcih they had no choice. Plant them a bit back and everybody wins !

Time: 12th August 2011 8:33am

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amanda says...
That's true Lancelot - but it is a real worry when a tree-lopping firm enter someone else's property to do that - purely on the say-so of these people....means it could happen to anyone...

Time: 12th August 2011 9:16am

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Jimmy says...
I think Julie in Roleystone has the same problem but with ginormous gum trees shadowing her block.

I'm suprised the tree loppers did it as well, but maybe the neighbours bullshitted to them?

Time: 12th August 2011 11:06am

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Xiem says...
Its pretty amazing that neighbours can come on to your property and do something like that Alison. Definitely take action against them. I must admit that I was tempted to kill some neighbouring trees in a place where I once lived because, unlike your tree, they were entirely inappropriate and their roots were an unnecessary intrusion. The ignorant planters had long since sold on and the new owners didn't care, but still I had to respect private property and refrain from doing despicable, dastardly deeds. Congratulations Alison on the word of the week "clustercuss". I had never heard it before and had to look it up (I had thought it was your own invention).

Time: 12th August 2011 12:00pm

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MaryT says...
My own gigantic jacaranda shades out my neighbour's yard; I didn't plant it but I bought the house because it has this beautiful tree which is bigger than the house (a cottage built on the backyard of a semi). I noticed they hacked at it on their side (without chucking the branches over the fence, thank goodness) but of course they were punished for it because the sprouting from the cuts are many times thicker than they had to cope with before, and yes, it is VERY UGLY on their side. Poor tree, it also gets hacked by the electric company people on the other side. Sigh.

Time: 12th August 2011 2:04pm

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Abdul says...
Time for the tree killer poison!

Time: 12th August 2011 2:27pm

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alison says...
Thanks for your comments. The tree has been insitu for 50 plus years and I was not introduced to it until 12 years ago, so I cannot take any of the credit for planting it on the boundary. I think some of you have lost sight of the main thrust of this exercise, which is that there has been an arrogant and contemptuous disregard for my rights as the property owner. I have shared this boundary with 5 different owners during my 12 years here and all of the neighbours have been firm friends with whom I socialised and who have also loved the benefits provided by this tree which is actually on the eastern boundary and which provided dappled shade to the neighbouring garden from the hot afternoon sun. It is only the presence of the new solar panels which has clearly prompted the drastic and unauthorised action on my tree. Needless to say, I have taken action, will be proceeding with an action in the District Court and will be joining both the owner and the loppers as joint defendants.

Time: 13th August 2011 4:44pm

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alison says...
By the way, I have had a look at the Rotto Tea Tree as suggested and it is remarkably similar except that the foliage on my tree was more golden green. I think you are on the right track. I will make a note of it.

Time: 13th August 2011 5:00pm

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alison says...
And finally to Xiem - it is entirely my own word - it was stolen from me and has now entered general parlance - I feel another law suit coming on.

Time: 13th August 2011 5:03pm

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Abdul says...
District court . pffft.

Got any idea what that costs and they wouldn't hear a small charge like that anyway.

You da one dat arrogantly left it there.

Time: 14th August 2011 8:57am

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Xiem says...
Good for you Alison. Best of luck.

Time: 14th August 2011 9:17am

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