Advice needed, dubious about arborist who visited yesterday

During the gales of a month ago I lost a massive Beech tree and the top of my what was really lovely Cedar Atlantica Glauca.
I am sadly aware the Cedar will not produce a new leader and so I need a realistic and honest opinion on whether with some work done on the top of the tree will it ever even vaguely look good again.
I had an “ arborist” visit yesterday who came recommended. The snag being I am not very sure if the person who recommended this person really knows their “ onions”!
From my understanding? I thought Cedar Atlantica Glauca was not very long lived. Mine will be about 50 odd years old.
The “ arborist “ who visited yesterday said they could live well over 150 years and had climbed much bigger in Lebanon?? Hang on a minute he is talking about a different variety of Cedar. Doubtful they are the same.
His idea is to tidy up where the leader has snapped off and reduce the tallest branches that are growing skyward so that they will branch out rather than up. Yes I know if you prune a branch it does not continue to grow up and does indeed branch into 2. However, the Lebanon remark had me somewhat suspicious and there, for certain are more cowboy, tree slaughterers out there that arborist!
It is obviously in this person’s interest to tell me the tree will look not too bad in time, I am being sent an estimate for the work involved.
Does anybody know a really good aborist? I live in Scotland but could send photos to an arborist who lived further afield. I wondered if I contacted the botanical gardens in Edinburgh if they might advice me? Any other suggestions? I am willing to pay what it takes to get the right advice. The tree is right in the middle of my garden and if I cannot get it to look quite a bit better in time( yes it will take time I appreciate that) then sadly I will have her felled which I really don’t want to do if the person who came yesterday is correct in that she will be improved with work done.
Photos taken from my bathroom window of what she currently looks like and other of what she did look like.

 

Apparently some sources consider Cedar atlantica to be a subspecies of the Lebanese cedar.
I would check yesterdays arborist's qualifications, registrations and talk to people who have used him.
I would also get a couple more quotes, perhaps have a look here Arboricultural Association - ARB Approved Contractor Directory or Scottish equivalent.

 

All I know is that a Lebanon cedar, when full grown is distinctly different to look at than Atlas cedar.
Admittedly when young they look similar.
Just my thoughts and I know that they are considered not to make a new leader but I'd give it a chance.

It might make 2 or 3 leaders which could be thinned to one over time.

 

Many thanks all for your replies. I will certainly contact the arborist associating @NigelJ and hope that HarmonyArb might reply. I am not in any great hurry. I have enough timber on the ground post The Beech being dealt with so she will be staying in situ for the time being. If there is a reasonable possibility of the tree being helped to look a bit better I just want to find the right person to tackle her.

 

It does look to be pretty exposed, and I've some experience of working with cedar of lebanon timber, it always seemed brittle to me.

Take it out and plant a nice giant redwood.

 

Oh ha ha @pete giant Redwood my backside!. What I do know about this tree is the wood is incredibly heavy. It must retain vast amounts of water unlike say a Beech or Ash. When the wood dries out it then is really quite light in comparison. While we are a bit above sea level we are not that exposed. In 20 years of living here this is the first significant damage we have had. The house is old, very very early Georgian, and someone obviously knew that when they built it as the wind tends to go over the top of us. My avatar is of just down the road, we don’t get the sensational view but we also don’t get the wind that accompanies it. I think I prefer to toddle down to the view rather than be blown to bits.

 

There seems to be differing opinions on both age and height on the internet. Here's a link to the thread of a past member who has one of these trees. I haven't read it through but it may be of some help.

Cedrus Atlantica Glauca | Gardeners Corner - The Friendly Gardening Forum

It's certainly worth contacting them. If they can't help they may be able to give you the name of someone who can.

 

Hi hailbopp

Firstly - I'd recommend asking for a quote and not an estimate. You want a statement of what it will cost to carry out the work completely and not an estimation that may well go up in price as the work is undertaken. If a business or individual is unable to give you a quote then do not engage their services is my advice.

Secondly - With the loss of the top the tree will nominate a nearby branch to become the new leader (a process called apical dominance). This ensures that all other branches remain subordinate and it generally keeps the growth of branches in check. So here you have a decision whether to keep that tall top branch and let it become the new leader, or have it pruned back into some sort of shape. The loss of apical dominance means that all branches strive to become the new leader and growth goes haywire.

Thirdly - What are your long term plans for the tree? Do you intend to leave it alone as much as possible while letting it just do its thing? Or do you intend to keep it managed somewhat? Once you start pruning trees you can never really stop.

Fourthly - When choosing an arborist it's certainly a good idea to ask what qualifications they have. A reputable company should have no qualms in offering to show you what training and assessments they have undertaken. At a minimum they should have the relevant competencies from the National Proficiency Test Council (NPTC) and City & Guilds. They may well hold academic qualifications in arboriculture which is even better. They should also have an appropriate level of Public Liability insurance and can show you this also. Make sure they do not use the terms 'topping' and 'lopping' as this is damaging and dangerous terminology that needs to be stamped out and is the sign of a rogue tree surgeon.

Hope this info is of use.

 

Many thanks both @HarmonyArb and @shiney. Funnily enough the ESTIMATE! arrived via email last night. The estimate is approx £475 I have nothing to gauge this against but the guy does not listen as I said no timber needed to be taken away as we use huge amounts of wood in our wood burning stoves. Perhaps he thinks I do not know the value of wood! While there is plenty of mention of insurance and best practices ( BS3998) ? there is no mention of whether the guy has any qualifications or not. Suspect not! However, letters after your name does not always mean you will get a good job and visa versa. Why does he call my Cedar “early mature”. She is at least 60 years old and I am confused as to whether they are long lived or not, I thought not?
Do I read you correctly that the tree will produce a new leader? I did not think these types of conifer would do this.The “ arborist” plan is to reduce all the 3 tallest branches by about 50 % to create as sort of new canopy. Would you do this? Knowing the tree pretty well having lived here for 20 years I have got to know the branches that fail. Branches that are almost horizontal to the main trunk are much much stronger than ones that are verging on vertical. All the 3 remaining tallest branches are of the near vertical variety!
The real beauty of this tree apart from it’s colour and sweet little electric blue cones is it’s sweeping habit. To me pruning the branches in any major manner would not suit it at all. It has an amazing ability to purposefully drop branches every now and then. The resulting hole in the trunk has virtually healed over before the branches drop. One nearly killed my husband, he was sitting under the tree one summer and ….timber, a huge branch just literally fell off the tree. Husband needed new underpants.
I have emailed an arborist who was the partner of an arborist I met years ago who has now retired sadly. The person I knew was IC the Dawyck Botanic Gardens but unfortunately I do not have his current address,I am hoping his partner will respond.
“Growth goes haywire” yikes do you mean that the remaining branches will grow at an alarming rate? What I did not show is the tree is not a kick in the you know whats away from my house. I am not worried about it’s roots as the house would have fallen down years ago if they were causing trouble but if the tree puts on significant growth on it’s lower branches we will not be able to get down the driveway. All very difficult and if the wrong thing is done I cannot get bits put back.
Sorry to ask all these questions but decidedly out of my depth knowing what the best thing to do is and I am 100% aware that the majority of tree surgeons in these parts would have made perfect candidates for the lead in The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. We have had a few run ins with these types who work for the power companies wanting any tree within miles of their precious power lines slaughtered.
You don’t by any chance know of anybody in these part who I could trust to do the right thing? I live about an hour from Edinburgh and 20 mins from Perth. Many thanks

 

@hailbopp I was quoted £2500 inc VAT to fell and remove 5 Douglas fir, grind the stumps out, take the timber away, the brash to be shredded and "fired" onto a convenient bank.

 

That sounds like a shed load of work @NigelJ. I know I had a large stump ground out some years back and it took ages and the contractors had to come back 3 times to get the remains of the tree to give up the ghost. A large amount of Roundup was used and much swearing!
Apart from having to climb my tree there is not a huge amount of work involved as I have said we would clear the mess. I reckon it would take maybe 15 minutes, max 1/2 hour to cut 3 branches with approx a diameter of 1ft down. If I was 40 years younger I would give it a go myself!

 

It's highly likely that the remaining upright stem will snap off in the next gale as it's now exposed to the elements. Removing that upright limb and correcting the overall shape would be an acceptable next step.

I personally don't know anyone up in Scotland, but you could always Google local tree surgeons and peruse their websites. Give the ones you like the look of a ring and see what they say re: training, qualifications, insurances and advice etc.

 

Many thanks for your help @HarmonyArb, I will do some searching on the net and have been given a name of someone who deals with the extensive woods around Falkland Palace, so he should know what he is doing, hopefully he might be the person to improve the look and future of my tree.