Partial Bury an Oak Tree?

[racerdude321]

Hey all, new to these forums things but not to the outdoors. I do have an odd one though so I need some help.
I've got a customer that needs to re-slope his yard for drainage issues. The ONLY way to do it involves a gorgeous 13-14" diameter northern red oak. Either this oak has to come down (does not want) or it needs about 4' (yes, four feet) of the base buried.
Normally if this was a smaller tree I'd transplant it back up to the new surface height or find another tree, not the case here I can't move a tree that large. My hope is the tree is old enough to be able to survive, but I very much have my doubts. The last thing I want is to give the owner hope and have it die from rotting base in a year or two.

So what say you? Do I cut the tree down and kill the look of his front yard or do I bury the base of it during re-grading by four feet and risk it dieing?

 

[trimmmed]

Do you have any attachable assets? You know, something you could be sued for by creating a hazard.

4' fill?????? Cut the tree down, get a decent size replacement.......heck it'll already be 4' closer to the old tree height.

 

[racerdude321]

Not worried about the lawsuit thing, but thanks.

The tree is probably close to 45' tall and 20' around with limbs. Going to be hard to find a replacement for that. :msp_tongue:
Really is a nice tree, even I hate to cut it down. Just not sure if it'll live if I fill in around it.

 

[Bomber]

I would build a circular Stone retaining wall around the drip edge of the tree. Leave the interior height alone and 4' outside is fine beyond the root tips.

 

[capetrees]

If you cut it, it's dead, no opportunity to see if it would survive. If you bury it, it may survive and if it doesn't, it will die out slowly enough that you would be able to tell and cut it before it falls (which it won't).

I say bury. I've buried oaks more than 4 feet and they have regenerated roots along the buried trunk. That was 15 years ago and the trees are still alive today, were 10" dia at the time of burial and now about 14", about 30' tall, white oak.

 

[racerdude321]

I would build a circular Stone retaining wall around the drip edge of the tree. Leave the interior height alone and 4' outside is fine beyond the root tips.

Unfortunately not an option. The site designer / permit won't allow for it.

I sure wouldn't worry about it falling over with 4ft. of fill!

:msp_laugh:

If you cut it, it's dead, no opportunity to see if it would survive. If you bury it, it may survive and if it doesn't, it will die out slowly enough that you would be able to tell and cut it before it falls (which it won't).

I say bury. I've buried oaks more than 4 feet and they have regenerated roots along the buried trunk. That was 15 years ago and the trees are still alive today, were 10" dia at the time of burial and now about 14", about 30' tall, white oak.

Kinda were I was going with it, but after all of this it won't be an easy tree to take down with objects in the way. This won't be till after snow melts so we've got some further time to think.

Glad to hear it! I'm very much leaning toward keeping the tree and working/burying around it. This helped a ton. Thank you.

 

[jefflovstrom]

Cut the tree down now, or cut the (dead) tree down later. there's your options. You bury that tree and it will die.
Jeff

 

[sgreanbeans]

Remove and replace. No discussion here.

 

[2treeornot2tree]

Tell him that either build the retaining wall or remove the tree. He called you because he wanted a professional opinion. So tell him, these are the options. You pick.

 

[capetrees]

Cut the tree down now, or cut the (dead) tree down later. there's your options. You bury that tree and it will die.
Jeff

As described, not particluarly true. You can read a book about it dying or experience the possibility of it maybe living. It's up to you.

 

[Fireaxman]

How permeable is the fill dirt? Is it Sand, Clay, or loam? If the fill is relatively impermeable (clay or loam) I would say "No Way". Sand, well, probably not, but ... how good will the drainage be after the fill? Would hafta be just right, alowing good permeability for nutriients but not holding water so as to cause root rot.

I have a lot of oaks, I am surrounded by subdivisions with a lot of oaks, I never saw an oak survive 4 feet of fill. I am removing 8 mature water oaks right now (25 to 36" dbh) that only took a couple inches of clay and maybe some trauma from the dozer.

Will it be just as easy (or just as hard) to take the tree down later, after it dies? Any children playing in the yard or cars parked in a drive way that might be endangered by falling dead, rotten limbs?

I put my $0.02 with Jeff and the others. I dont think its gonna make it. Sometimes takes a year or two for them to die. But they usually start looking pretty ragged in the second year, lots of dead branches and epicormic sprouts. Some folks like to hang on to them until the last epicormic sprout turns brown, but usually by then the sawyer beetles are already telling you the tree is done.

 

[Chainsaw_Maniac]

As long as the owner realizes there is a good chance the tree will die, go for it. You could plant a replacement AND leave the old tree standing.

 

[DanW63]

I would build a circular Stone retaining wall around the drip edge of the tree. Leave the interior height alone and 4' outside is fine beyond the root tips.

This is a good solution.

Mature oaks can definitely be killed by burying them. My folks lost several Shumard's oaks when they did a big fill. (Not such a good idea to have a bluff in the back yard with all us kids running around.) It ended up being a great sledding hill and didn't hurt the big oak in the front and side yard. Free climbing to 75ft at 12 yrs old - woo whoo - good times!