tree too close to driveway which needs repair - HELP!

[greenmedian]

Looking for advice! I have a Norway Maple which is adjacent to my driveway. The driveway is in terrible repair. I love the tree and don't want to lose it. The pavers say that to fix the driveway properly they need to dig and this will likely kill the tree. The arborists I have consulted seem to think I should cut it down. Everyone values the driveway more than the tree except me. Is there any way to save it? I don't care if the driveway is perfectly flat, I just want it to be smooth and easier to shovel in the winter.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Is it possible to use paver blocks like a dry fit cobble stone with sand in that area?

I have seen situations that this method would work on a private drive or sidewalk.

About every 3 to 5 years, they would need to be lifted, a new layer of sand added and "screed", then replace the same stones.

Feasible?

Is the tree healthy?

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Could you move the drive?
Another problem is bigotry. Norway maples are invasive. They produce so much shade and are so prolific, they take over native stands of trees, so there is prdjudice agaist them.

 

[ok2climb]

Root pruning prior to any excavation on the side where the construction will be taking place. I have done this a few times with additions being added on to houses and basements being dug, the trees i did this on were mature oaks and all have done well. You do not want the pavers to rip and tear at the root system of your maple, a clean sharp cut thru the roots will heal better and to some degree promote better root growth than if they would rip them out. It also depends on the proximity of your driveway to the tree, if its really close then the survivability will be decreased. You would have to root prune a substainal amount of the root system and that is never good. The equipment used is either a trenching machine used to lay cable or a vibratory knife, both are available at most commercial rental centers. Contact a certified arborist in your area and discuss options with them, know that constuction damage is one of the major killers of the urban tree.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Out of curiousity, how would pavers rip and tear at roots?

There would be several inches of sand below them, possibly with a fabric.

And as long as the traffic is a car or pickup, either of those apply no more pressure per square inch than when a 250 lb. man step on one foot.

A 4000 pound pickup distributes that weight to 4 tires. For simplicity sake, lets say that's 1000 pounds per tire. A tire tread contacts 4 times the surface area than the ball of a man's foot does.

So a cobble stone drive takes the same pressure per square inch when a man walks, as when a regular size vehicle drives on it.

Now, with that in mind, are we still looking at ripping and tearing?

Personally, I'd probably go with the root prune method if it didn't get to serious. If it was my tree. But on a nice specimen, I'd be inclined to go with a hardtop surface that would yield - for walkways and driveways. Roots rise, hardtop rises.

 

[ok2climb]

norway maple

Ie.. shovels, pick axes, loaders, backhoes. This man stated the crew would have to dig to properly repair his surface. Since absorbing roots(wich provide most nutrient uptake) are found within the upper 6-10 inches of soil they would surley be damaged. When was the last time you found a driveway crew worried about the benefit of an adjacent tree? I would take all precautions with people working near the root system of your tree and consult with an arborist and to also express your concerns to your contractor.

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Yes, its a definite fact that road crews are not generally tree saviours.

And on a paver install, its still a build-up of material over the root zone.

I've got it!!!!


A SMALL BRIDGE.

 

[ok2climb]

I've got it, EDUCATE. From the homeowner, the contractor, the developer and even some in our own industry. Knowledge is power.

 

[Guy Meilleur]

Originally posted by M.D. Vaden

I've got it!!!!


A SMALL BRIDGE.

MD, you may have had your tongue in cheek but you're the real doctor this time. Using expanded slate aggregate to "bridge" the root system will provide the aeration for root function while permitting the compaction the driveway above it will need. See www.stalite.com

Also search "CU soil" which is similar structural soil product developed at Cornell U. Is there a source for expanded slate in OR?

 

[M.D. Vaden]

I'm not sure on a source, but its interesting enough to investigate.

California and Oregon have a serious and very active landscape industry.

If a product is available, we should be able to get it even if it was not stocked here.

Odds are, I'll start with google, webcrawler and ask jeeves.

Then a call to some of the big landscape contractors might bring up a source.