I'm posting this just because . . . if someone wanted to know how long it takes a dead Arbutus tree to rot to the point of disintegration, there would likely not be much definitive information online. Well, I'm here to tell you. :-) 50 years. That's how long ago our house was built and the Arbutus would have to have been taken down then to allow for construction. Such a tragedy though because the tree trunk was at least 6 feet across at that point. If it were me, I'd have chosen a different site for the house even if the tree blocked the view.
Hi Margot, that is such a shame whenever a tree is felled to make way for us. Have you heard of drilling holes in a stump and using an Epsom salt solution? The reason I mention it is our neighbours had a tree felled, ( it was dangerous) and the arborist wanted to put some awful chemicals inside to help it decay quickly. This thankfully was refused and an old gentleman locally advised the use of Epsom salts. This was done and within 18 months the stump was rotten and removed easily. OK not a quick fix but 50 years is a long time. Personally I like to see nature take care of these things, but for some people they need the room for children to play etc etc.
