concern with red oak

[giern]

I have a neighbor that is planning to plant a red oak near our property line, which will place the tree about 5ft from my driveway and about 6ft from my house foundation. Could you tell me about the root system of the red oak, and could it cause damage to my property?

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It is not too close to these structures root wise, but I'm concerned for the tree being 6 feet from your house. How will this tree be pruned over the years to keep in from conflicting with the walls and roof of your house? Eventualy this tree will get a 30ft diameter spread to the canopy. It will need regular work to keep from having to butcher it 10,15 or 20 years from now.

Plant high, make the root flair visible.

 

[Jay Banks]

This tree is to close to your hardscapes. Would the neighbor consider a smaller maturing tree? Show off some of your concerns by offering to help plant a more appropriately sized tree.

 

[treeclimber165]

Not familiar with the Red Oak, but I wouldn't plant ANY oak within 15' of MY house. You might want to ask your neighbor about researching recommended clearances for the tree he wants to plant. For him to ignore this would be inconsiderate on his part. Most large trees I personally recommend 12-15' clearance from houses, 8-10' from drives.

 

[Timothy Kasulin]

I would also recomend asking himto look at some different trees.
I do alot of work on red oaks out hereand they can become very large.They usually have no surface roots so the driveway is not much of a concernbut the house is. Express your concerns to your neighboHopefully you have a good neighborl;y relation togetherand they will be understanding

 

[Eric E.]

Where is the neighbor's house, drive, etc. in relation to the proposed planting site? I wouldn't care to have acorns all over my drive and bouncing on my roof while trying to sleep. Perhaps the neighbor is not familar with the potential negative effects.