Roots Question: Building Trails in the Woods

[Fairways_and_Greens]

I'd really appreciate some guidance from you tree experts. I've been building trails in my woods with my Kubota BX25D. Almost all of my land is on some kind of slope. Sometimes in building switchbacks I have to cut into the bank, and invariably I encounter roots. Nearly all my trees are cedar, hemlock, douglas fir, cottonwood, or alder.

1. What happens when I sever a root? Is there a right and wrong way to do it?
2. How far away from the tree should I be to sever a root?
3. I hear doug fir are more susceptible to root issues, so I steer clear of them.
4. I try to make my trails over the roots, but sometimes the path wears down and I take the bark off the top of a root. Is this OK or should I sever it at this point?
5. Is there a way to distinguish hemlock, douglas fir, cottonwood, and alder roots? They all seem to look the same.

I'd appreciate any other general advice on building low impact trails. I need to be able to get my chipper in/out and the tractor around the property to harvest dead wood.

 

[jefflovstrom]

You need to call an arborist to tour your property and plans. Without pic's, it is hard to say.
Jeff,

 

[BC WetCoast]

I worked with forest road builders for years. We would always have cleared right of way on each side of the road, because when the roots were cut, they would always blow over and became a worker compensation issue. As far as your trails, cedars and fir will have the most resilient root systems. Hemlock seem to be quite susceptible to root disturbance. Alders blow over if you look at them wrong, and cottonwood are usually in wet areas, and changing drainage patterns can affect their stability.

Depending what you are making the trail for, building up a layer of mulch or chips over the roots may be a better option.

Are you in bc or wash state? Can tell by your tree mix.

 

[Fairways_and_Greens]

Thanks Wetcoast! I'm down in Washington about 30 minutes north of Seattle. I've been slowly falling all the alder. That's why I wanted to know if you can identify roots. If they're the cottonwood or alder, I don't care cause they're going to be on the ground soon. I'm wanting to replace the alder with cedar in the wet areas, and then sequoia and shore pine when I have the sun for it. My hemlock have a lot of rot in the heartwood, so I've been taking some of those out as well.

The trail is to get around the property in my BX25. I put my chipper in the bucket or fill the bucket full of firewood. I've been hauling in sandy loam to put over the roots and then a bed of chips over that when I get.

 

[BC WetCoast]

You can identify roots, but it's a little geeky. Get yourself a 10x power hand lens and a sharp knife. Cut a 1/2" branch of alder and cottonwood and make a clean slice across the grain. With the hand lens examine the cell structure of the two and note differences. Then you can cut a root and examine the cell structure. The root will be the same as the branch.

Why sequoia when it's not native, although it will grow well. If you want to stay with natives, you may want to consider Douglas fir (Psuedotsuga menziesii) or Grand fir (Abies grandis).

It sounds like you're close to the ocean, if you're thinking of Shore pine (Pinus contorta contorta), you may also want to consider Sitka spruce in the wetter areas.

If you're going to plant cedar, make sure they are protected. Deer think they are candy and will browse hard.