construction damage

[murphy4trees]

Here are four pics with captions I Am putting on my website.
Any thoughts or experience you have with remediation is appreciated.

The outfit that is grading and planting this lawn doesn’t know or care much about trees. They are in the process of covering large areas of the root zones of four mature trees with a layer of hard clay subsoil. This clay is so dense that it prevents oxygen in the air from reaching the fine, non-woody, “feeder” roots. These roots cannot survive without oxygen.

 

[murphy4trees]

The skid steer is moving the subsoil, which was dug for the foundation of this house, from a pile in the side yard, and grading it out over the future front lawn area. This practice is common for new construction and swimming pool installation because it is cheaper than hauling the soil off site. That is most unfortunate for this Shagbark Hickory as more than half of its non-woody roots have been covered.

 

[murphy4trees]

This block retaining wall is a feeble attempt at tree preservation. Excavation of the driveway destroyed much of the root system and the remaining roots have been buried under a foot or more of subsoil.

 

[murphy4trees]

The four big trees are from left to right: a white oak, a hickory, a gum and another shagbark hickory to the right of the driveway. The new lawn, which has been graded, planted and covered with straw looks great. However, the homeowner will be sad to see all four of these big trees die over the next 1-10 years. The builder will be long gone by that time .The cost of hauling the soil off site would have been a fraction of the cost of tree removal, not even considering the value of the trees. Remedial procedures to save the trees could include radial trenching

 

[treeman82]

I was going to say something along the lines of vertical mulching, using a high sand / organic matter backfill. Also do some REAL tree wells. I would also consider using Cambistat, they say it works well for construction damaged trees, and is worth a shot.

 

[Toddppm]

Just wondering if you talked to the new owners? and did they look at you like you were from outer space?:alien:

 

[treeslayer]

I've seen this so many times, I've become rather callous toward builders. I'm sure that the underground utilities were installed by idiots who took the short route under the canopy of the trees as well....
Would'nt it be nice to work with a developer and educate these buffoons, so the trees they leave and advertise with as a wooded lot actually survive?

Oh well, a boy can dream. Dan, you''ll be back soon enough.

 

[Jumper]

I continue to find it amazing people will spend a half million or more on a house, and then take the cheapest route to landscape it. I also have no doubt the utilities installation took the shortest root with a Ditch W/B itch or similar.

 

[TREETX]

Great pics. Good to have handy when you talk to clients wondering why their tree are declining at their 1-5 yrs old house.

I have tried to explain this to people. Some understand. Others just look at you and can't understand their yard being anything other than a yard. I would love to have some pics like this on hand. Keep some good pics of the beautiful lawn when they are done.

I am dealing with a customer now that has declining red oaks (Q. Buckleyii/Texana). They have a lot of fill. 1 foot minimum. Look like straws in the soil.

So much of tree work is centered around the minutia of tree climbing/rigging, etc. Thanks for bringing site history and tree care to the fore front again.

Nate

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Treeman82, I like a guy with a sense of humor!

Murph, since you brought it up, could you talk a little about tree roots and the need for oxygen? You seem to suggest that woody roots don't need oxygen. At what age do root become woody, or is there some differentiation that takes place? What soil oxygen level do the two need to thrive or survive?
That's a lot of questions, but you can handle them.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It seems to me that the conductive roots would not need a high O2 level, but this would be a moot point being that the volume of soil effected is so large.

What I am thinking here is that if a small path is compacted, does not damage the roots, the the ineffective absorbative roots would be shed.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Did you notice the ring in the bark on the tree with the well being built? I bet that there used to be a cloths line tied there, now the ring is only about two feet high.

Also notice that none of the trees have a root flair. The back filling they are doing is bad, but the trees were already buried long before this newest layer was added.

This buried root discussion interests me. JPS, you think if a section of root is buried, but the tip of the root is not, the whole root will survive?

I asked a similar question at the isa webboard, tell me if I linked this correctly:

http://webboard.isa-arbor.com:8080/read?2541,4

And if so, any comments?

 

[mikecross23]

Originally posted by Mike Maas
tell me if I linked this correctly:

http://webboard.isa-arbor.com:8080/read?2541,4

And if so, any comments?

Mike,
The link didn't work.

I gave an estimate yesterday for a live oak deadwood and the tree had a huge mounding flower bed around the trunk about 2'-3' deep. I asked the home owner the purpose and he said the landscapers recomended it. I told him it was bad for the tree and can cause the roots to suffocate and rot. He had no idea and I had just recently learned that myself.

Good topic for my ignorance.

Thanks
-Mike-

 

[mikecross23]

Originally posted by treeman82
I was going to say something along the lines of vertical mulching, using a high sand / organic matter backfill. Also do some REAL tree wells. I would also consider using Cambistat, they say it works well for construction damaged trees, and is worth a shot.

Matt,
I'm clueless!!! Will you give me a breakdown here. . . Vertical Mulching? Real tree wells? Cambistat? Type some English for me please!

Thanks,
-Mike-

 

[treeman82]

Mike, vertical mulching is basically drilling a bunch of holes into the soil in the root zone to get water, and air down to the roots. Normally people fill in those holes with sand or organic matter which cannot degrade easily. Tree wells are for if you are raising the grade around the trunk, you basically put up a stone wall around the outside of the trunk so that the trunk flare doesn't get covered. Cambistat S2? is a TGR (tree growth regulator) you can apply it as a drench or I think as an injection? It slows down crown growth to increase time between pruning, helps to increase disease resistance, helps stressed trees recover a little faster, and does a couple other things which I cannot remember.

 

[mikecross23]

Thanks Matt.

-Mike-

 

[TREETX]

Cambistat sounds interesting for construction strees on older, mature trees.


I think one of the worst things I see recommended here all to often for helping 200-300 yr old live oaks recover for construction stress is FERTILIZER!! High N fert. The last thing a tree that size needs is an extra flush of growth, expending valuable carb reserves growing instead of just living, surviving, and defending.

 

[treeman82]

Mike, if you get TCI, check out the March edition from this year. Either March or February. They have a good article in there about TGR's.