Montana_Sam
ArboristSite Member
Hi all
I recently built a small house pretty close, maybe 25', from a large 4-stocked Ponderosa Pine, (western yellow to some). The excavator guys piled up the back-fill around the base of the tree, and then smoothed everything out after construction...the feeder roots have most definitely been jeopardized. 3 of the stocks are doing very well, lots of lush green new growth, full crowns looking healthy. One stock, perhaps 34" dbh, has shown some significant crown thinning in the 2-3 years since construction...needles dropping throughout the seasons, cones dropping when the other stocks are not, and the tip top is still lush and green, but it is struggling.
Any advice? I have spread a thin layer of compost and loosely planted alfalfa in hopes of rejuvenating the compacted soil, and I give the tree some extra water during July and August (this is Northwest Montana, drought during late summer is common).
thanks
I recently built a small house pretty close, maybe 25', from a large 4-stocked Ponderosa Pine, (western yellow to some). The excavator guys piled up the back-fill around the base of the tree, and then smoothed everything out after construction...the feeder roots have most definitely been jeopardized. 3 of the stocks are doing very well, lots of lush green new growth, full crowns looking healthy. One stock, perhaps 34" dbh, has shown some significant crown thinning in the 2-3 years since construction...needles dropping throughout the seasons, cones dropping when the other stocks are not, and the tip top is still lush and green, but it is struggling.
Any advice? I have spread a thin layer of compost and loosely planted alfalfa in hopes of rejuvenating the compacted soil, and I give the tree some extra water during July and August (this is Northwest Montana, drought during late summer is common).
thanks