Treefriendshesam
ArboristSite Lurker
I've recently cut down loads of invasive and otherwise overgrown vines, bushes and even little trees in my yard, and also have been working on creating drainage solutions by digging. The lowest point in our yard, and which was previously the most overgrown area is between two sets of 5 trunks of tall, mature red sunset maples, (which are almost certainly at least 40 years old and quite likely 75, like the house. (The latter estimate- I'm guessing because they are placed or situated at regular intervals (13 feet from the house and 13 feet from each other). I've been working on creating a rain garden between the bunches of trees, where water always collects anyway and where an older neighbor had always said there was "an underground spring." I was confidently pulling up and trimming roots, some I knew were poison ivy, Japanese honeysuckle, and whatever bush is growing all over near the fence. We also have invasive catalpa roots I wanted to cut. I was feeling confident and suddenly I'm wondering if I've gone ahead and gotten too aggressive, possibly cutting maple roots, too. I can't seem to find information with images that show how I can tell the difference. I know not to cut any huge roots. I'm talking about a few about an inch in diameter, mostly considerably smaller, and they have curly, hairy-looking projections. How can I reliably know the maple roots from the unwanted ones? If I have cut some on one side of each tree, would that endanger them?