Hi! I have not posted for a while on the forums, but I'm back now I thought, I'd share my scratchbuilt birch trees and the build process. Any helpful comments are welcome.
After I paint the trunk white and use a black pen to add the bark pattern, I glue on the seafoam to act as the smaller branches:
They look really good. Think I should have a go. Last time I made a tree it looked like somebody had stuck things to a twig, they had, it was me.
Talking of Birch Trees there is one growing outside our house... it was getting too tall and restricting daylight so last December my neighbour gave it a hair cut with a chain saw, now we have just three branches sticking up from the main trunk... I think he may have possibly killed it off, however it may sprout leaves in Spring and if it does I'll photo it ... may be a nice touch to model a pruned down tree.
All the trees on our estate have Tree Preservation Orders. Have to apply to remove branches or you could end up with a big fine.
When Countryside Access came round our village making an inventory of trees he was asked who took responsibility for this tree seeing as it was growing on the verge, bearing in mind the branches were impinging on the phone lines and reducing light into the house and lifting the pavement surface around our external water stop cock, his answer was the council had no funds to prune the trees. We asked who would be liable for damage repair due to the close proximity of the tree to our building... his answer was that we were... amazing since we never planted it, so it was a no brainer really when the sap stopped rising.
You're 'lucky', around here the council are very quick to fell an adolescent or mature tree probably because a bean counter has indicated that felling and replanting at intervals is cheaper than regular pruning. I think that they have a deal with the local axe men who fill in gaps in their workload by chopping down trees for the council at a reduced fee, so perhaps the council has to provide enough executions a year to keep that deal going. Jim
