Beech Tree?

[kcrossley]

Three years ago we moved into a new construction home with two 0-100' established beech trees. Both trees are at the edge of property, but beyond our lawn. This year the trees have noticeably thinned out. We did have a rather rough winter for the Virginia Tidewater area.

A few years ago we established a rather large mulch bed around both trees thinking it would make them healthier. In doing so we covered up some of the trees roots on the surface. Could this be the problem? If so, can we reverse the condition by uncovering the roots?

Thanks,
Kelly

 

[S Mc]

It can take many years for construction damage to manifest itself. Knowing construction crews, they could have driven over the root system time and time again, topsoil could have been removed, replaced, compacted, turned upside down...the desecration list just goes on.

A tree's root system can extend two to three times the size of the crown width. So stand back from your trees and picture that. How far into the managed yard and potential construction site do they go? You can then picture how much of the root system was impacted during construction and subsequent landscaping with lawn, etc.

Regarding your mulching efforts, how deep did you install the mulch? What product did you use? and how close to the buttress flair did you go?

Could you supply photos of the trees and area?

Sylvia

 

[lxt]

The mulch base should be no more than 4inches thick & I usually stay away from the root flare/tree base.

if heavy equipment was on site there may be some compaction try a root aeration & see how that does???

good luck, beech trees are awesome when that big...just a pretty tree!



LXT.................

 

[kcrossley]

Could you supply photos of the trees and area?

Sure, here you go:

BTW, we had a pretty hard winter this year. Could that possibly be part of the cause? I also have an arborist coming out sometime this week to inspect them.

Thanks for your help.

 

[kcrossley]

if heavy equipment was on site there may be some compaction try a root aeration & see how that does???

What's that? Is it expensive?

 

[S Mc]

Kelly, could you give us a photo of the base of the trees showing the mulched area as well?

I can see the buttress flair, which is good. And the mulch looks organic, also good.

Did you lay down any weed barrier prior to the mulch? If so, what kind? How far does the mulch extend and how deep?

Your lawn is beautiful. However, remember that if you put any weed and feed or herbicide products on it, this can adversely affect your trees. Do you have an irrigation system? If so, this may well have cut roots numerous times. The landscaping endeavors of laying the lawn, installing the irrigation system, all impact trees. When laying the lawn was any herbicide, pre or post emergent used?

These large trees easily have a root system that extended into the construction site area. There is no doubt in my mind that they were impacted by all this development. A lot changes under the ground during construction...none of it any good for trees.

Whereas prevention of damage would have been the best bet, as it is difficult to impossible to fix damage to trees after the fact, that is obviously a moot point. Aeration and restriction of use of herbicides are probably your only and best options for improvement to these trees' wellbeing.

A harsh winter will impact a stressed tree harder than a healthy, vibrant tree.

Sylvia

 

[kcrossley]

Hey Sylvia,

Thanks again for your help. Here are the photos you requested, plus a few more.

Both Trees

Left Tree

Right Tree

Yes, we have an irrigation system, plus, we added about three dump trucks of dirt to the backyard, but were careful not to cover or damage or cover the roots. As far as the mulch, last year we used Scott's Nature Scapes, which we later found out was simply crushed pallets. Most of that washed down the hill. This year we used shredded hardwood mulch. NO weed barrier was used.

Actually, a month or so ago I used Ortho Weed-B-Gone to eliminate some weeds around the trees, but I sprayed it directly on each weed.

I hope this helps.

Thanks again,
Kelly

 

[S Mc]

Kelly, you did a beautiful job on the mulch. And weed maintenance, using a systemic with addressing each weed individually is definitely going to minimize chances of affecting your trees.

The only suggestion I have on the mulch itself would be to possibly take a blower and blow it a little bit further away from the trunk and expose more of the surface roots. That is being a bit picky, I know.

I really feel a large contributor to your tree's stress symptoms harkens back to the construction of the house and subsequent landscaping. Beeches, according to references, are fairly intolerant of construction, soil fill and general changes in their environment.

It will be interesting to hear what the arborist on site has to say. I would be seriously thinking about an aeration effort, even knowing that is possibly only going to have a moderate affect, something is better than nothing. This process will be out in your lawn, as this is where the compaction will have been the worst. What I wouldn't be keen to hear is anything that involves injecting the tree or fertilization. If anything of this nature is suggested, ask numerous questions on the why, when, how, and why again.

I am assuming the 3 dump truck loads of dirt was for your lawn area. And so, as I said, this will have impacted the root system.

Many people feel that if they are outside the dripline, they are no longer affecting a tree's root system. However, on a large tree of this sort, with an immense canopy that is ascending rather than spreading, that grossly underestimates the protection zone needed in order to minimize negative impact.

Sylvia

 

[lxt]

The aeration will help with the prior compaction by returning the pourous space back around the root system (to a degree) beech trees ala, Fagus grandifolia like moist rich soil....so do a ph reading of the soil & see what its reading alkaline/acidic.

I would consult with a local Arborist, they will be able to explain in a greater detail what has been mentioned above!

good luck & those are nice looking trees....it may just be shock/stress that the trees may overcome....BUT, keep a close eye on em & talk to an Arborist.




LXT.............

 

[kcrossley]

I've contacted Bartlett Tree Experts. They're sending an arborist out on June 8th. I'll update this thread as soon as they've evaluated the trees. Thanks to everyone who is helping me with this problem.

 

[Ed Roland]

I agree with Sylvia. Looks like construction damage.

Ive worked with several of the sales reps for the big "B" throughout VA. Knowledgeable bunch. If a Jason H. comes to see your tree, expect great service.

I look forward to reading what recommendations are prescribed.

 

[ct greenman]

All the info given so far is spot on. To go a little further with the beautiful lawn the weed control on the lawn could have contributed to the sparse upper canopy. If you have a lawn service limiting the weed control they use will help. Beech trees have a very sensitive and close to the surface root system. This is also why construction 3 years ago may be part of the problem as well as compaction of the soil. A good organic fertilizer with microaize or compost tea treatments can help to revitalize health. Good luck Beech are one of my favorites. Bartlet has some good guys in my area whom I know.

 

[kcrossley]

All the info given so far is spot on. To go a little further with the beautiful lawn the weed control on the lawn could have contributed to the sparse upper canopy. If you have a lawn service limiting the weed control they use will help.

If weed control is part of the problem, will the trees recover once I have my lawn service discontinue the treatments?

I feel like a tree killer.

 

[S Mc]

KC, has the Bartlett rep been out yet?

The weed control products the lawn care service may well be contributing to a problem, but they are unlikely to be the sole cause. But seeing as these are big, magnificent specimens, I would error on the side of caution and withhold herbicides in their root zone.

I think the key component is the compaction due to the construction activity and will be interested what the onsite arborist recommends for remediation.

One of the goals in our industry is to get the word out there that trees need to be protected whenever change is being considered within their vicinity. There are few things we can fix with trees, so it is much better to prevent the problem to begin with. What makes this message so hard for people to understand, is that many years can go by before you see the ramifications of impact. By that time, the people involved are either long gone or do not tie in the event with the decline they are currently seeing.

Sylvia

 

[tomtrees58]

to bad they were nice trees but construction damage not good and yes thear beech

 

[kcrossley]

KC, has the Bartlett rep been out yet?

The weed control products the lawn care service may well be contributing to a problem, but they are unlikely to be the sole cause. But seeing as these are big, magnificent specimens, I would error on the side of caution and withhold herbicides in their root zone.

I think the key component is the compaction due to the construction activity and will be interested what the onsite arborist recommends for remediation.

One of the goals in our industry is to get the word out there that trees need to be protected whenever change is being considered within their vicinity. There are few things we can fix with trees, so it is much better to prevent the problem to begin with. What makes this message so hard for people to understand, is that many years can go by before you see the ramifications of impact. By that time, the people involved are either long gone or do not tie in the event with the decline they are currently seeing.

Sylvia

Yes, the Bartlett rep was out yesterday. He felt there were probably a few things that contributed to this problem, including compacted soil and possible root damage from construction. He's preparing a proposal now, but here is what he recommended on site:

1. Discontinue use of any herbicides
2. Extend the mulch bed an additional 5-10' into the turf area
3. Aerate the lawn directly under the tree's canopy to help loosen up the soil

He also recommended cabling both trees where they split for additional support and a fertilization regiment, which he's putting together now.

Andrew, the person I met with, is quite knowledgeable and taught me a lot about how trees work, especially the beech genus. One thing that I didn't know is that beech trees have really wide and shallow root systems, which makes them much more prone to construction damage. I wish builders would take all of this into consideration when they're building a new home.

I also learned that trees normally die from the top down when root damage occurs. Basically, the parts of the tree closer to the surface take most of the nutrients. One question I had that he didn't know the answer to was what happens if we trim the lower branches of the tree? Will that help direct more nutrients to the canopy?

Hopefully, whatever he recommends will help.

Kelly

 

[ct greenman]

NO trimming the lower branches will not help. Aeration and ORGANIC fertilization will help.

 

[kcrossley]

NO trimming the lower branches will not help. Aeration and ORGANIC fertilization will help.

Do you believe we can save them? What type of aeration? Should I use a standard yard aerator or is there something else?

 

[ct greenman]

Most tree care co will use an injection system a large needle to inject fertilizer/water this will also break up compaction. I would do a fall spring and fall.After those apps The rehabilitation should be showing. Extending the mulch is a good idea but removing sod may damage more roots. I would not try that in the interest of less impact on the root system. For now the soil inject fert would be most beneficial in my opinion. Organic good ferts would be biopack/sea kelp or compost tea. A summer (ASAP) compost tea injection would be a good idea. All of these will loosen the soil and provide beneficial organisms and nutrients. Yes I think the beech trees will be ok if these things are done.

 

[Ed Roland]

1. Discontinue use of any herbicides
2. Extend the mulch bed an additional 5-10' into the turf area
3. Aerate the lawn directly under the tree's canopy to help loosen up the soil

He also recommended cabling both trees where they split for additional support and a fertilization regiment, which he's putting together now.

1-3 and addressing the structural issues are all fine recommendations.
I would not have recommended fertilization without foliar and/or soil testing. All the elements in the world are useless if the ph is off. A soil test will give you a base line potential hydrogen value to work with.

Prescription prior to diagnosis = malpractice.

I may be getting ahead of myself since it's pretty likely the hold up on the fertilizer portion of his assessment is because the gang at the BTRL are processing your soil sample.
They will get back to you and most likely recommend their product called Boost. Since we are dealing with damaged roots I will go ahead and guess they will throw a bag of a billion mycorr spores into the slurry to be injected into the soil under your trees.

These big bag-O-macro fertilizers regimens can push top growth at the expense of root development making plants vulnerable to stressful environments. Frequent, high levels of these fertilizer can produce an unbalanced and often unsustainable shoot-to-root ratio. The P disrupts the alliance between the fine root hairs and Mycorrhizae. Mycorrhizae on the other hand, feed plants and stimulate root growth. Generally, mycorrhizae are only helpful to plants on soils that are extremely low in Phosphorous. If Bartlett dumps a big bag-o-NPK-macros into the soil then the tree roots may disassociate with the beneficial fungi. They hedge that bet with their own bag of fungi. But now the soil has plenty of P.
Don't get me wrong, Boost is a tremendous tool when properly used. This may not be the time for it.

Your trees suffer root damage. Why force the tree to produce top growth? Why force a stressed tree to grow at all? Seems to me, slowing things down and ensuring optimum cultural practices going forward is best.
Instead of fertilizer to force growth, I would instead, slow the trees shoot development and increase fine root density into the newly aerated soil with a growth regulator such as paclobutrazol. Mulch is all the fertilizer your trees will need.

Concerning seaweed extract:
"Overall assessment: “…treatments are ultimately dependent on multiple plant, soil, and environmental factors, and often have no discernible effects.”
“…there appears to be little value in applying these products.”
- Dr. Linda Chalker-Scott, Ph.D., Extension Horticulturist