Inherited Sycamore. To be or not to be.

So we're moving house. The new garden is a west facing rectangle approx 10.5 X 12.5m. At the west end, right in the middle of the boundary wall is a very large (I'd guess 40ft) sycamore.

We're going to be completely redesigning the garden as it's been so neglected for so long there's not much option but to start again.

My question is what to do with the Sycamore?

It's been pollarded (I think that's the term) before and is pretty ugly, but also comfortably the biggest tree around and it dominates that end of the garden.

We want the garden to be a haven for wildlife as well as for us so if we did get rid of it i'd plant something else (ideally with a bit more wildlife value) in its place. But we'd still be losing a tree and it will take years for any replacement to begin to fill it's shoes.

I'm really torn on this. If there were no consequences we would take it down and plant something else, but taking a chainsaw to it feels somehow wrong.

Any advice?

 

You will get differing opinions but mine is to get rid of it
Sycamores can get very large, grow fast, throw loads of seedlings and leaves and not esp attractive in my opinion
Taking the tree down now rather than later surely is preferable; or a compromise of dramatic pollarding now with the intention to do so every year I think
On my boundary here 3 sycamores have been removed over the winter.....one was huge. It had been cut several times but still grows overwhelmingly.
The cut and removed trees will be replaced with indigenous smaller growing trees

 

I agree with Verdun, my neighbour had one and what a pain pulling up small Sycamore trees in my garden every year. It's been taken down and other nicer trees planted.

 

I also agree - I suffered years of sycamore seedlings in a previous garden. If you remove it, hawthorns, rowan etc would be good for wildlife - and you could get 'fancier cultivars. They certainly wouldn't take long to have an impact on wildlife due to their berries.

 

Aaaaah.....Sycamore , the bull of the Acer family , and not a particularly good tree for wildlife .
Agree with all the above , get rid and plant something more useful !
Be careful with a 40' tree , that is a fair size to tackle .

 

Well this is all leaning very much in one direction.If only all votes were so straightforward.

I do have a nice little woodburner here. And an airy cellar to season it in...

 

I had one of three Sycamores removed last Autumn. A 60ft tree with a huge stump that left a crater in my garden. Like our friends here I find them unattractive, they self seed everywhere and the leaves tend to develop black spot as the season progresses.

 

I love trees but have to agree on taking it out. Sycamores do dominate and aren't that great in a wildlife garden. Have a look on the Woodland Trust website for some good alternatives.

 

I removed 3 trees from my garden one of which was a very large but hacked oak tree. It was a difficult decision but in the end I was happy. If it was me I would replace with a full size apple or plum tree.

 

Get rid. Im surrounded by neighbours monsters. Shade knackers the lawn.seeds knacker the guttering etc.

Theyre just massive weeds imho. Even the local wildlife avoids them. Get that chainsaw going...