Root Pruning - Liquidambers

[dirtywork]

My customers want to save three 25yr old trees located in the center of the front lawn. They are beautiful trees, but their roots are lifting their front patio.

So they want to redo the the patio/cement again. The only thing I thought about is root pruning around the perimmeter and install root barriers or pull them out.

If I root pruned would it kill or stun the trees?

How much should I charge? per linear ft. w/ root barriers

Any suggestion/recomendations are welcomed. Thanks in advance.

Victor

 

[treeclimber165]

The first (and MOST important) issue is concerning potential harm to the trees. As with the canopy, root pruning can be done with minimal harm to the tree IF no big roots are cut and less than 10%-20% of the root zone is affected.
1) How big is the tree?
2) How far away is the patio?
3) How big are the roots that need to be cut? (You will need to dig a little to answer this)
4) What percentage of the drip zone will this affect?

Answers to these questions will give you a better idea as to the potential harm to the tree. As to $$ rates, sounds like a labor rate to me, plus a premium for your knowledge. Please reply back with more info.

 

[dirtywork]

Thank you for answers. This is what I was hoping to hear and received some bonuses.

I'll go get you that info. sometime this week and a picture to see what we are looking at.

Thanks again.

Victor

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

A caveate to Brian's post is that you cant indescrimenatly cut the roots. the closer you gett o the trunk, the more likely root rots will set in.

What about an alternative to a poured patio? How about peir construction? Traditional wood or thick lstone slabs. Lift the curent slabs our carefully, pour in sand and set in stone without tamping, may need some work every few years, but it will not stress the trees.

 

[dirtywork]

I tried posting the pictures on this site, but I tells me it's to big. Could I e-mail those pictures directly? What is your e-mail address?

Thanks.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

My email is at the bottom of all my posts, in my signature.

 

[dirtywork]

Here are some pictures of the Trees and roots at different angles. The major roots are about 5" wide in some areas and the canopy is about 8' from the center of the tree and 4' from the center of the tree to the patio.

Liquidamber Trees

Liquidamber Root

Root at different angle

Patio

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

I emailed this to you also That is too close to sever roots and keep the trees healthy long term, I would be much more comfortable with the flags/paver set in sand scheme then anything else, from an arboricultural standpoint. I don't see a wooden platform fitting the architecture. I could see terra cotta colored pavers in there.

One thing I would do is a pneumatic rootcrown excavation to see if there are any root problems. These trees look like they are buried too deep. We are seeing some rapid taper but no flair transition to root. You may go through trouble in adapting the patio to and have the trees only last 10 more years with girdling root.

I know some guys that made a wand to put on a 125cfm industrial compressor out of standard plumbing supplies for under $25. An Ingersoll compressor is just a few hundred a day, you could knock this out in half a day.

If you find you need to put in a poured patio, I would strongly recommend replacing the existing trees.

 

[dirtywork]

John,

Thanks very much for your time to answer my questions. I forwarded the options they have. They mentioned that they might still go for the root pruning and risk the trees to die within ten years and hope nothing happens to them.

They are thinking of taking out the patio and pour just the walkway from the door to the driveway and the sidewalk.

Another concern is the gas, main water line, drainage, and sewer runs under those trees and were sued by the next door neighbor, because it ran in their sewer lines.

I'm going to skip this job and refer them to an arborist. To much variables.

Thanks again.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Are those trees fruiting yet? I was thinking how bad of a desision that would look when they are big and sending tonnes of gumballs down onto the patio

 

[Shaun Bowler]

LA root pruning

About 10 years ago, I had to make the decision weather or not to remove aprox. 80 mature LAs' because of a SW R&R program in the city that I work for. It would have change the neighborhood. I decided to thin and reduce the trees(45-65 ft.) as much as possible and the grind out the roots. In some cases, at least half of the root crown had to be removed as well. We did this job in January. Man, did I sweat spring that year. I watched for growth daily. We did not lose a single tree, and 10 years later, we still have all the trees. We have learned a lot from this "experiment", and apply it to this day when nessesary.

 

[TheTreeSpyder]

Besides the nutrition loss etc., there is always and would especially be here a mechanical destabilization by upsetting so many roots that tree is more likely to lose its anchoring in a storm.

Tree roots go out in a horizontal plate of roots, cutting so many reduces its anchoring to the ground.