Roots exposed on Maples

[weimedog]

I have a bunch of large maple trees where the roots have been exposed to standing water. Last year was very wet...and washed away and/or the ground settled away from around the base of many of these trees (arox 40 trees in question)....how much root exposure can they tolerate? Is it worth trying to cover those roots back up? I guess a follow up question is how much "wet" can hardwood maples stand?

Some have 8-10 inches exposed. Most of these trees are in the 12-18 inch diameter range.

I plan to build better drainage around their area and will have plenty of tractor time to invest in these trees.

Thanks in advance for your comments.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

If the roots are near the trunk, that is normal. If they are away from the trunk, yes you can reverse the erosion by replacing soil..The main goal would be to protect them from lawnmowers, tractors etc.

Re tolerance to moisture, first tell us what kind of maple--sugar, Norway, or what? Pictures tell the story, can you post some?

 

[weimedog]

They are sugar maples...actually the hill side they cover used to have a maple syrup operation producing almost 700 gallons a year from the almost 50 acres of maples on that hill! Now its our place to ride horses and generally enjoy the woods environment. Don't want them to go away.

I don't have a way (yet) to post pictures. I have a cam-corder and am looking to get a graphics card with the ability to handle the output from this digital sony camcorder..I could mail a casset..

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by weimedog
..I could mail a casset..

Maybe you'll find someone closer. at www.isa-arbor.com you can find a local certified arborist.

Has the ground always been wet? Tractors and horses can squeeze the air out of (compact) wet soil, which leads to a myriad of problems. If you ever get your trees pruned, best to recycle the chips on site.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

It's hillside, so is this errosin, or was the water standing for an extended period of time?

How far out are the exposed roots?

If any of them are in the horse paths, I would concider covering them up to avoid damage from hooves and shoes.

If it is just woody root tissue that is not sun exposed, I would not woorry about it. this is natural . It's possible that just the duff/decay layer was washed away.

If a lot of fine root is exposed, then covering them up may be in order,