Safe way to build up dirt around trees

[BrianCooke]

I went to a buddies house a few days ago looking to do some grading work in his back yard. He wants to more or less level up his back yard so his toddler will have a place to play without worrying about him rolling off his property. This means adding probably 2-3 feet of dirt (probably mostly fill dirt (red clay around here)). He has half a dozen trees that are maybe a foot at DBA ( oaks & elms). Obviously we do not want to hurt the trees so my question is this....is there a safe way to fill dirt around trees without harming them?

Can you devise some sort of corrugated pipe concoction to get water down to the roots once covered up?

Sure would appreciate any input,
Brian Cooke

 

[Guy Meilleur]

The recent Journal of Arboriculture had research showing one foot of compacted soil did not hurt young cherries. 3' of clay on older trees--especially on their trunks!!-- is asking for big trouble.
How about building the tot a play area filled with wood chips and timbers on the downhill side to hold it in? This kind of terracing, with a fence at the bottom, may work well.

ps in the JoA research article, piped aeration systems had no benefit. Surprising results.

 

[Dan F]

There is a way to do it, but it will take some $$ and a fair amount of time...

Basically you want not only water, but air to get to the roots...

In simple terms, what you would need to do is place a network of perforated pipe around all of the trees to be saved. This network would need to go around every tree, with several concentric rings radiating out from the trunk. You would also need to have risers plumbed in to come to the surface of the future grade. Then fill around and probably above the pipe with pea gravel.

You probably would want to then lay down a geotextile fabric over the gravel, then, and only then could you start to bring in soil.

Some sort of retaining wall (probably drystack stone, without a base) would need to be built out away from the tree trunk too, to keep soil off of the root flare and trunk.
If your buddy is serious about saving his trees, then you probably should find a certified or consulting arborist (consulting would probably be better for this) to come up with a tree preservation plan. Most likely it would be something like what I've just told you.


Dan

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Rodky, that was Dan, not Dad; the impetuous voice of youth for whom all things are possible

I share your skepticiism; though I've seen that kind of system work for decades, the chance of these guys spending the time and money to do it right is remote. A tree-friendly tot retention system could be engineered with mulch and boards for far less.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Pictures of the area would be very helpful.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I think several yards of chip in a big bunker would work better, then when the kid is old enough to not worry about so much you will have a lot of humus to use.

Use PVC tree wells to keep the chip off the trunks.


The surface can be replenished as needed.

 

[DadF]

Actually Rocky we do have an area on campus that has a stone retaining wall built out 3+ feet from the trunks of several trees (I think there three and all are 2-3' in dia)and there are corrogated pipes coming into those wells. Apparently this was done when the nearby student housing was built back in the early sixties(I can barely remember the construction ) . We have not had too many problems with the trees in those wells other than the typical storm damage that all the other trees in the area also had. Whoever spec'ed this system for that area is long since gone so we don't know exactly how or what was put in sub surface. BUT that was also done when not as much heavy equip was used. I would also doubt that we could try that now because of the attitude around here of 'build the campus up then plant trees and make it look nice". Thankfully we do have a tree protection policy in place(finally within the last two years) and our construction people are starting to realize that there will be a price for removing or damaging trees. Unfortunately that wsn't the case a few years when a forktruck operator decided to use the nearest maple tree as a battering ram to unstick a pallet on his forks

 

[Dan F]

Rocky and Guy-

I DID say "in simple terms" when I described the system...

No where in there did I state that it would absolutely work!

FYI, what I described was a system that was described to me in a class at Purdue. I have never installed such a system, nor have I seen one work, short of the few trees on campus that Dad alluded to. I guess I should have clarified that point.

As to the voice of youth, well, I could have said much dumber things. But I at least gave the guy an option to try.


Dan

 

[Dan F]

I've been here long enough to know when you are attacking someone versus an idea, so no offense taken.

In retrospect, I should have clarified that I have never installed one or seen one in use though...

I do recall seeing on in a book somewhere, but that still doesn't mean anything.


Dan