What kind of tree do I have?

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speeddemon0712

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Good morning everyone. I have a new construction home in the north Fort Worth area and are curious what tree was planted in my front yard. I was told Oak, but an app I used thinks it might be a Chinese Elm? I just want to know exactly what I have so I know how to take care of it, and what to expect in the coming years. Thanks!
 

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The landscaping was added above ground, a few months after the tree was planted. Is that not ok? I've seen quite a few "wells" in 10-15 year old neighborhoods around trees and they seem fine.
 

Thanks for the info. Our plan was to knock down the landscaping border if/when it looked like it was starting to affect the tree. Based on what we've seen in older neighborhoods, we thought we had 10 years or so. We noticed those trees seemed to be ok, just the roots came up and cracked/broke the border wall. We figured if that happened to ours, we would just take the wall down.

Question, how does concrete not affect the trees at ballparks, in a similar way like you're talking about our border wall? We went to the Rangers baseball game yesterday, and all of the trees near the park had a concrete sidewalk all around them. There was maybe 1' around the trunk before nothing but concrete. Would that not affect the roots in the same way?
 
There may be a few things at play:
*Ideally, those trees are planted at the correct depth, even in the tree pits.
*there are systems that allow for successful rooting under sidewalks (Silva cells, for example).
*Many urban trees are living about 7-13 years before replacement, so often things are not done correctly, and the trees don't make it.

IF the tree was planted in your "well" at the correct depth, AND there was a way for the roots to get under it and out into the yard (which I assume that second part is the case since you said it was put in after the tree...), then it may make it for the long haul. However, we see deep planted trees dropping off in their "teen years". So, 10 isn't unrealistic to expect. It isn't hard to keep a tree limping along for 10 years. As they age, they need more resources. Or, more likely, for deep planted trees, that is when the trunk is really trying to expand but is girdled by encircling roots.
 
Question, how does concrete not affect the trees at ballparks, in a similar way like you're talking about our border wall? We went to the Rangers baseball game yesterday, and all of the trees near the park had a concrete sidewalk all around them. There was maybe 1' around the trunk before nothing but concrete. Would that not affect the roots in the same way?
The problem with your tree is not the well itself really. That won't affect the roots if the wall is on top of them.
If the tree was planted before the well was installed, it may or may not have been planted at the correct depth at the time. Now, with a 12" or so high wall around it that is filled to the top, it is absolutely planted too deep. The root crown is buried far below the surface, far too deep for the tree to survive. Not only that, but with the trunk buried in all that mulch the bark will start to rot away.
 
The problem with your tree is not the well itself really. That won't affect the roots if the wall is on top of them.
If the tree was planted before the well was installed, it may or may not have been planted at the correct depth at the time. Now, with a 12" or so high wall around it that is filled to the top, it is absolutely planted too deep. The root crown is buried far below the surface, far too deep for the tree to survive. Not only that, but with the trunk buried in all that mulch the bark will start to rot away.
Short of knocking down the wall just yet, is there anything we can look for that will tell us if the tree is suffering? So far it seems to be fine, but obviously I have no idea what I'm doing. Can the tree be saved if we start seeing signs of rot and then knock down the wall?

Also just to add... our yard has a decent slope. So the front of the landscaping is quite a bit taller than the back. In the middle where the tree is, we added top soil dirt (about 6" from the ground) and about 2" of mulch. The whole well is not full of mulch.
 
In the middle where the tree is, we added top soil dirt (about 6" from the ground) and about 2" of mulch. The whole well is not full of mulch.
This is the only relevant part......The root flare is buried under 6" of dirt. That is enough to kill the tree. Once the damage is done, the tree may not recover.
 
This is the only relevant part......The root flare is buried under 6" of dirt. That is enough to kill the tree. Once the damage is done, the tree may not recover.
That is probably 6" on top of the already 2-3" too deep if it is like most other trees planted.

If it were mine and I wanted to keep a tree in there, I'd dig up the tree and re-plant it at the correct depth.
 

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