Trees! Cut 'em all down I say, they're a menace! What do we need trees for? Besides breathing......Shade? NO, why would we need shade at night?
Make sure you can at least see the SCP for good polar alignment. I usually plan all my imaging in an easterly direction above 30 degrees so i have a lot of time to get those long subs all night.
If you can't chop trees down, climb up with a lopping saw and cut a couple of branches out of the crown every month or two. The tree should handle it and just put more foliage out down lower. Once you have it at your chosen height, it isn't hard to maintain it, especially with Gums.
I put my observatory in my front yard. Council even approved it. I built the floor four feet up off the lawn so I can get up above the treeline a bit more. The scope on the pier and mount is almost ten feet off the ground.
My two cents...
Baz.
