I have a large oak tree about 15' or so from my house. If I have this tree removed, will my foundation be exposed to more rainfall? Trees act kind of like umbrellas. With the tree gone will the soil that was under the tree be wetter? Would I be changing the condition of the soil around my house's foundation by having the tree cut down?
Do trees shield soil from excess rainfall around a house?
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Little Al
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I think you'll find your tree acts more like a sump pump than an umbrella the roots doing the drying out of the soil around it, but unless you have a spring or some form of water course i would think the ground can dispel the water without the trees help & although it will possibly be wettry I wouldn't have thought it would be a problem I would be more concerned about the effect of the roots getting under the building
Jackbnimble
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Not sure. Good question. I, too, think I'd be more concerned with roots harming the foundation, but that may not be an issue either. Is it leaning toward the house or is it damaged in some way?
The roots aren't affecting the foundation. Sometime in the past, I'm guessing around 15 years ago, this tree had been topped. Hundreds of secondary branches have grown out from the stubs. These die and fall off. Also, the tree has carpenter ants. I plan on having an arborist come look at it - not a tree cutter. I guess I'd like to keep it, I know my wife would. I'm just wondering if I would have more water up near the house if the tree were to be removed. My yard is fairly flat and it does drain, but I don't like the idea of water near the house. I wondering if removing this tree will change the dynamics of the soil and the house.
The roots won't harm your foundation if you have a monolithically poured foundation. If you have cracks, then you can get roots in the cracks.
The tree acts as an umbrella to a certain extent, but like an umbrella, the water has to go somewhere. For the umbrella, the water flows to the edge and drips, for a tree, it either coalesces and runs down twigs and branches until it drips in bigger drops or flows down the stem. It doesn't change the amount of water, just modifies how and where it lands.
An oak tree in the spring, summer and early fall will take up significant water from the soil. One web site says up to a 100 gallons a day.
The tree acts as an umbrella to a certain extent, but like an umbrella, the water has to go somewhere. For the umbrella, the water flows to the edge and drips, for a tree, it either coalesces and runs down twigs and branches until it drips in bigger drops or flows down the stem. It doesn't change the amount of water, just modifies how and where it lands.
An oak tree in the spring, summer and early fall will take up significant water from the soil. One web site says up to a 100 gallons a day.
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Would be more concerned with those carpenter ants. Rot can be anywhere and it's there, if ants are.
Jackbnimble
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BC WetCoast's comment makes sense.
"Would be more concerned with those carpenter ants. Rot can be anywhere and it's there, if ants are."
The ants are one reason I'm concerned about the tree. It drops dead sticks, which I think are from the topping. I can see small dead stuff in it. Nothing big though.
That's why I'm wondering what, if any, the effects will be on my house and lawn if I have it removed.
The ants are one reason I'm concerned about the tree. It drops dead sticks, which I think are from the topping. I can see small dead stuff in it. Nothing big though.
That's why I'm wondering what, if any, the effects will be on my house and lawn if I have it removed.
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