killing a tree

Question

Is it true that copper nails can kill a tree? We have a tree that in summer. It’s beautiful in winter when the leaves start falling. It’s dangerous where we live with a communal path with 2 pensioners – if anyone slips on wet leaves, who knows? We have asked the council to trim it back but they won’t, saying it’s a healthy tree and it would cost too much to chop down.

Answer 1

I have never tried the “copper nail” treatment personally, but reading info on the web, and going by my gut feeling, I think this is a myth. There are many approaches to killing a tree, and I will give you an article outlining those in a moment. Before that, I’d like to point out that 1) in some communities, removing a tree is something that can’t be done without governance approval; 2)killing a tree is easy and cheap – removing the dead tree is costly; 3) if you’re worried about the danger of wet leaves on the pavement, a leaf blower in the hands of a maintenance person who can wield it once or twice or more a day might be the best solution. https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/ornamental/trees/tgen/how-to-kill-a-tree-killing-trees-in-your-garden.htm