Huge White Oak- don't want to kill it

[Forevertiger1981]

I have purchased a piece of property with a huge/beautiful white oak tree that I want to preserve.

Here's the problem, I'm going to demolish two structures that are within the drip line of the tree. Both are towards the edge, but still..... They are close. One structure is an old house built in 1945, the other is a dilapidated shed/barn.

I had planned to dig up the footings for the house, but now I think it's a bad idea. We are in what you might call a early stage drought in upstate South Carolina. I believe a large mini- excavator or a large skid steer is the heaviest piece of equipment he plans to use. Not bringing in an enormous tract hoe or anything.

Wait, it gets worse... There dead white oak near the front of the house that has to go. Plan to have them dig up the root ball on this dead tree, which is outside the drip line (by about 25 feet) of the huge white oak I want to preserve.

Advice? I can get pictures tomorrow and post.

 

[Zale]

Pictures would help. At a minimum, fencing around the tree to keep the demo guys from disturbing the root system.

 

[Del_]

Keep all equipment off of the oak's root zone. Leave the footers for now.

Put some mulch around that tree.


......and give it some water if you're in drought.

 

[Forevertiger1981]

Ok...... here are some photos. I was wrong, these two structures are very much so under the drip line. I thought they were just around the edge. There is a water tap on the property. Once I have them install the meter, I get 4,000 gallons included in my $32/month water bill. Would it be wise to put off demolition and dump 4,000 gallons around the root ball over 3-4 weeks? or is that a drop in the bucket?

The last picture attached (of the 1/2 dead tree at the front of the house) shows the tree I plan to remove. I was going to have them dig up that root ball. Which might just mean... push the tree over and cut it into pieces (you would know better than I).

 

[Zale]

If you're guy has a track hoe, that could be one solution. With the hoe, he can reach into the structure and pull the material out. This is where it is critical the demo guy understands your concerns for the tree. If he says it can't be done, that usually means he doesn't want to do it. How much are you willing to invest in these trees? Find a local certified arborist who is familiar with tree preservation methods. So many questions to ask beside demo methods. What is the foot print of the new building and how will that impact the critical root zone of the tree? Keep us updated.

 

[BC WetCoast]

He could do it with a mini ex or a skid steer if he's careful. He would need to keep his machine within the footprint of the house. An excavator would be easier but it can be done with a little more work using the smaller machines.

 

[Forevertiger1981]

Thanks again. I'm going to meet onsite with the demo guy to make sure we are both on the same page. He said the demo would take several days because he's going to be using smaller equipment. I've decided I'm not going to allow him to start until I have had a certified arborist to look at everything on site. I forgot to mention, the truck is 4'-5' in diameter about 6' off the ground (depends which side you measure). Any idea how old this tree is? There a good bit of green moss looking stuff on the top of some of the low/large limbs. I assume that's nothing to be concerned about.

 

[old_soul]

the nice thing about a large machine is he can sit on top of the pile and rake everything to the center to load out trucks. 30 foot of reach means he can stay away from the oak tree.

in my opinion 100 trips in and out with the skid steer will cause more compaction than a tracked hoe

Maybe it's different in SC but I have hired several demo companies up here and they are not careful, they only care about getting paid and collecting scrap metal so I would make sure you have a plan for how you want him to access before they start.

good luck

 

[ropensaddle]

the nice thing about a large machine is he can sit on top of the pile and rake everything to the center to load out trucks. 30 foot of reach means he can stay away from the oak tree.

in my opinion 100 trips in and out with the skid steer will cause more compaction than a tracked hoe

Maybe it's different in SC but I have hired several demo companies up here and they are not careful, they only care about getting paid and collecting scrap metal so I would make sure you have a plan for how you want him to access before they start.

good luck

Yes,yes,and yes. Here they are the same they think because the trees live a year after or so, they have done no damage. Facts are it takes two years to show up, note to op if you can find someone needing the lumber willing to tear it down by hand, might be better solution not faster though. Here even the track hoes bang the trunks rip roots etc.