Why can I see all of these roots?

[Raspberry]

We have only been here about 6 months. We asked the previous owner why the yard is like this and she said "It's just how those trees are." I find that hard to believe since there are three different types of trees. I think they're birch, fir and something else that just grew naturally. It appears that the previous owner put wood chips down under the trees. The rest of the yard is grass. You can see where the fence is. Beyond that is a farm and it's a huge puddle that you see, not a pond. Our yard is very , very wet when it rains. There are trees on the other side of the fence which do not appear to have exposed roots. I assume they all grew naturally.

Does anyone know what the issue is here or what we should do?

 

[ATH]

Roots need oxygen. When the soil is saturated, they can't get much in the soil, so they go up to where they can find it.

I suspect there was also compaction when they built which leads to more surface rooting (because of less oxygen in the soil again).

River birch do have more surface roots than other trees. Why...well, at the risk of sounding repetitive: they are adapted to grow along the rivers (hence the name), which often have saturated soil. Over a couple of thousand of years of adaptation, the shallow-rooted River birch would have been more successful than those wanting to go deep only to be suffocated when there was no oxygen down there.

The tree on the right in the last picture is either a Red maple or Silver maple....or perhaps a Freeman's maple (Acer x freemanii) which is a cross between the two. Both also have shallow roots...especially the Silver maple (their native habitat is in the wet spots in woods).

I think that tree on the far right in the background may be a bald cypress. If so, it may start sending up knees. They don't always do that, but they will in low oxygen soils.

You have good trees for that wet location. I'd just keep mulch/wood chips over the area. Were there more that floated away?

 

[mohick]

Just the way it's going to be with these type trees as stated in earlier post!!

 

[JeffGu]

I see high clay, poor drainage, low nutrient soil in a high traffic area with lots of compaction. As others have mentioned, that's how those trees are going to respond. Good quality topsoil and compost layer might help, but not if it's a playground. It's going to take some work to fix those problems.

 

[mohick]

Those trees have to have a certain amount of exposed roots. you can fill with topsoil but they will be right back up on it , even faster if it is some good dirt unlike the junk that is there now.

 

[Raspberry]

Wow! Thank you all for the very specific advice! I didn't realize I'd get so much help!

ATH - I guess I was wrong about the previous owners. She said the same thing as you! We will get some woodchips to add to what is already there. I'm not sure if there were more or not. I know there were not more behind the fence because he does come through with a tractor a few times a year. The ones that we have seem well established and healthy to me. I have heard that when they make a development it messes up the soil. Anway, I'm okay with them being like this as long as they're okay!

mohick - Thanks! I'm okay with it then!

JeffGU - I'm okay with it if the trees are! There's definitely poor drainage but surprisingly, our basement is dry.