Can the trees be saved?

[esshup]

A friend had 4 ponds dug on his place, varying in size from 1/10 ac to 1 1/4 ac. The contractor just piled the dirt around the ponds and spread it out, covering the roots and root flares with up to 40" of dirt. 2 ponds were dug in late 2008, two more in late 2010. There are trees dying around the ponds dug in 2008 now, and he's wondering if any of them can be saved, and what should he do about the trees around the last ponds that were dug?

There's probably between 120 and 150 trees total between all the ponds, varying in size from 10" DBH to over 24" DBH.

The ground is sandy, the contractor used a 50,000-60,000 pound excavator to dig the ponds, and a dozer to spread out the dirt. The land could have been considered a wooded wetland, in wet springs, it would flood up to 12" deep, and stay flooded for a few months, depending on the amount of moisture. The groundwater will fluctuate from above the previous soil level during wet times to 60" below the previous soil level. With the amount of dirt pushed around the trees (all the way to the trunks) now the groundwater level could be down to over 96" below the new soil level.

The trees in question are Sugar Maple (definately not Silver Maple), and Red Oak, specifically Pin Oak. The areas were cleared in a couple hundred acre woods, where the water sat the longest. There were many River Birch growing in the area of the ponds, but they were all removed and the Oaks/Maples were left standing. You can see where some trees were hit by the heavy machinery, and the bark removed in places. Nothing was put on the injured trees, and you can see the cambium trying to grow over the injured areas on the trees that are still alive.

The property is in North Central Indiana, specifically very close to Knox, Indiana. I suggested that he get a good certified arborist out to look things over, but I have no idea where to look for one, and what credentials to ask about. He's an absentee landowner, but I live 15 minutes away.

Any help or suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!

 

[ROPECLIMBER]

You can look up ISA certified arborist in your area here,

International Society of Arboriculture

40" is suffacating the absorption roots, add that to stem & trunk damage, and root compaction from heavy equipment, looks like they are on the slow way out, a deciduas tree usually has enough reserve to transpire for 2 seasons showing decline or dyeing in the third season, after root damage,
Paul

 

[esshup]

Thanks guys. The landowner was talking of going to the extent of having the dirt removed from the area. There's a 10 acre field on the property that is about 3/8 mile away where the dirt could be spread, but I don't know if the equipment used would compound the problem of compaction.

I'm assuming that a Board Certified Master Arborist is the highest level of certification?

I sent the property owner the information on the Master Arborist, and he's already got an appointment set up for March 13th. I'll try to remember to post the recommendations. He wants me to be there to take notes, and be in on the process, probably because I'll be in on any actions that need to be taken.

If anyone is interested, here's who is coming out:
http://www.isa-arbor.com/faca/arboristdetail.aspx?ID=19903

Thanks again guys!

 

[beastmaster]

I hope you post back with the results of your Arborist. Preventive is always better then fixing the problem created later. With the water tables so high and that heavy equipment running around in there I would think the compaction under the fill would be pretty bad. The whole dynamics and natural water flow throw the soil that has existed for 10's of thousands of years may have been altered.
A dozer can reverse what took nature eons to do, in a few hours. I am sure there are going to be fix's and band aids, you have already gotten some good advice, but let this be an eye opener.
I took a soil science class, it really open my eyes to what pests we humans are to the lay of the land, sure we do it for the greater good, and it wasn't that bad when we had so much to work with, but were going to run out of fix's one day.
I hope you and your friend take what you learn and spread the word.

 

[Carburetorless]

Thanks guys. The landowner was talking of going to the extent of having the dirt removed from the area. There's a 10 acre field on the property that is about 3/8 mile away where the dirt could be spread, but I don't know if the equipment used would compound the problem of compaction

If the boom is long enough he could stand off from the trees far enough that the tracks wouldn't be over the roots, then drag the dirt to him.

May be worth the effort.

 

[esshup]

How does a landowner get involved in such a pond building project and at the same time be oblivious to what is being done to the trees?


Speaking for myself, I had a hard time feeling sorry for such a dupe.


Wonder what other ecological disasters are being perpetrated on the land?

Sometimes the bull in a china shop mentality gets what they deserve.

I disagree. Absentee landowner; and landowner lived in city all his life, bought property in the country and hired a guy that knew how to move dirt to dig the ponds, but the guy didn't know how to properly dig ponds, nor knew squat about trees.

Other than ponds that aren't as user friendly as they should be, and ponds that are too shallow for the area, and trying to dig them for the least amount of $$ spent to maximize profit, there are no other "ecological disasters". I do feel sorry for for the owner. He asked around, and hired a "professional". Yes, he probably should have done more homework, but if he didn't know enough about the process to ask the right questions, I can't lay the blame on the owner. If a professional is hired to do a job, they as professionals should know enough about all the facets of the job to do the job properly.

It's basically the same as a homeowner hiring a tree trimming service that recommends topping trees. The landowner thought he was hiring someone that knew what they were doing, and was wrong.

Landowner wanted ponds that were 12' deep, but didn't specify that the 12' depth was from existing soil level. Contractor piled dirt around ponds and considered the 12' depth from the top of the dirt that was piled and spread, so he only dug down 6'-7' instead of 12'. The owner had stocked one pond, has already had a winterkill, and lost 50% of the fish that were stocked. He's probably going to spend more than the original pond digging price to fix the problems caused by the contractor not digging the ponds properly in the first place.

It's on 80 acres, and 90% of that is mature hardwoods. There are roughly 200 trees around the ponds that could be affected in the spoils area. There are enough trees of the same species on the property that all the trees could be replaced with a spade, but at what cost? From seedlings to trees as large as the spade can handle.

Realistically, the woods really needs to be managed to get maximum use. There is no sign of the property ever being logged or selective cut. Multiple species of Maple and Oak. I haven't walked the whole property and made a species list.

 

[esshup]

The arborist came out today. Most of the trees showed 3"-4" tip growth last year, but he's unsure about how many will make it. When asked for a %, he said around 50% will make it, but he needs to do more research before a final answer can be given. He wasn't sure whether removing the dirt around the trees, and from over the roots would do any good given that the trees have been covered with dirt for a period of time already. From Fall of 2008 until Fall of 2010, when the last pond was dug.

I'll post an update once the written report comes in.

 

[esshup]

The written report is in....

I'm suprised at how brief it is.

Here it is:
"With the types of trees that are near your ponds and the fact that the soil is sand it is my opinion that at least 50% of the trees should survive for at leat 10 years. On the day of the inspection is appeared that most of the trees were going to leaf out this Spring and the trees grew approximately 3" in 2011. I recommend planting new trees throughout the area that I inspected in preperation for some of the existing mature trees dying from the soil getting piled on their root systems and against their trunks."

He also put in a memo to use Plantara.com tree tubes to protect the young transplanted tree trunks and to use a growth regulator to the trees that will be transplanted before transplanting to stimulate their root growth.

The trees are starting to leaf out, and I'll go around the area this coming week to see how many trees have died already.