Hi all
We have a beautiful white oak on the property, my favorite tree hands down. Although it's a touch closer to the house than ideal, it is a vibrant thriving tree that drops a ridiculous amount of mast and I can't imagine how much wildlife it supports
Unfortunately, we've been rebuilding after a fire and, somewhere along the line, the septic pipes under the stone patio were crushed. I'm going to be doing the work myself to perform surgery and dig out and replace the pipe but here's the rub...
I'm going to have to get pretty close to that tree. As close as 12 feet to the base though maybe i can stay 18 feet away (don't know exactly where the line is) radially, is be cutting maybe 45 degrees out of the circle and also presumably those roots are doing less work since they're under a stone patio with a house upstream (so less water?)
My question is, if I end up having to cut substantial roots, can I improve the tree's chances of surviving the shock by cutting back some of the branches as well? I understand we can cut up to 25% of the growth each season safely and I don't think we'll be cutting anywhere near 25% of the root system. Maybe 5-10% may suffer at most?
Your suggestions are welcome
Thank you
![PXL_20230731_111625258.jpg PXL_20230731_111625258.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/arboristsite/data/attachments/785/785409-3266bea5f5e2dd83087ad96b915025dc.jpg)
![PXL_20230730_133006615.jpg PXL_20230730_133006615.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/arboristsite/data/attachments/785/785410-144de6bb5c8083c342b203f39371b2ee.jpg)
We have a beautiful white oak on the property, my favorite tree hands down. Although it's a touch closer to the house than ideal, it is a vibrant thriving tree that drops a ridiculous amount of mast and I can't imagine how much wildlife it supports
Unfortunately, we've been rebuilding after a fire and, somewhere along the line, the septic pipes under the stone patio were crushed. I'm going to be doing the work myself to perform surgery and dig out and replace the pipe but here's the rub...
I'm going to have to get pretty close to that tree. As close as 12 feet to the base though maybe i can stay 18 feet away (don't know exactly where the line is) radially, is be cutting maybe 45 degrees out of the circle and also presumably those roots are doing less work since they're under a stone patio with a house upstream (so less water?)
My question is, if I end up having to cut substantial roots, can I improve the tree's chances of surviving the shock by cutting back some of the branches as well? I understand we can cut up to 25% of the growth each season safely and I don't think we'll be cutting anywhere near 25% of the root system. Maybe 5-10% may suffer at most?
Your suggestions are welcome
Thank you
![PXL_20230731_111625258.jpg PXL_20230731_111625258.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/arboristsite/data/attachments/785/785409-3266bea5f5e2dd83087ad96b915025dc.jpg)
![PXL_20230730_133006615.jpg PXL_20230730_133006615.jpg](https://cdn.imagearchive.com/arboristsite/data/attachments/785/785410-144de6bb5c8083c342b203f39371b2ee.jpg)