Keep a maple tree alive

David1928

I have have a maple tree 15 feet away from my garage in a new house that I am building. Its trunk lines up with a split between a double and single garage. The tree is about 35 years old and is about 18 inches diameter at its base.
I will be building an asphalt driveway to drive into the garage.
The driveway has a 5% slope from the garage threshold to the street. However the base of the tree is on the same height as the garage threshold.
I plan to use washed limestone and recycled concrete below the asphalt driveway.
How do I build a retaining wall to keep the maple tree alive?

Brent Ferris

If this is a Manitoba Maple, cut the tree down, build your retaining wall, and let the tree sucker up from the base and keep it small thru yearly trimming. If it is a Black Maple, a Silver Maple or a Red Maple, or a Sugar Maple cut it down before the job starts to save yourself some money. What you are planning to do will almost certainly kill the tree - either from cutting the roots or smothering them - and removing a tree after a new drive is in place just costs more. THe Manitoba Maple may survive since it can almost anywhere.

If you like, I can come by and look at your project. Richmond Hill is fairly close. But unless I misunderstand what you are saying, the advice is likely to stay the same. Understand the rule of thumb, that roots spread out from the base of the tree about 3 feet in radius per inch diameter. So for an 18 inch diameter tree, figure the roots to spread out almost 60 feet all around - less so under buildings and garages.

Of course, in Richmond Hill you would have to apply for a permit to remove the tree since it is larger than the 8 inch diameter minimum.

David1928

I would like you to visit. My email is

David1928

The tree has a lot of sentimental value to both me and my son. I really want to save it. Incidentally, I was not born in 1928.

Brent Ferris

As a followup, I visited David1928 Tuesday PM.
The tree is probably a Schwedler Norway Maple.
When I examined the shoot tip growth, the growth for the last 7 years is equivalent to what a healthy tree would grow in one year. However, the previous house was demolished two years ago, no doubt upsetting the drainage pattern, and the growth that year (2009) was half of the previous year (about 1 inch vs 2 inches), the growth this year is more telling - only 1/4" of shoot extension.
At least one root has had bark ripped off, at least one root is being girdled, one or more roots were cut off when the foundation for the new house was dug, the crown is considerably thinner than I would expect, and I said I believed the tree would probably be dead the following year.
The site is clay, and the tree is about 10 feet from the building. He is preparing to add 2-4 inches of coarse gravel over the existing clay, and add asphalt in 2011 or 2012.
I suggested letting the tree die, because although tree removal would probably cost more, he would save on the arborist's report, the permit fee, the requirement to plant a specific tree (and guarantee its survival for 5 years. And if he waited to asphalt the drive until after the removal, he could probably save on the tree removal.
He was disappointed. He had made a number of efforts to save the tree, including not allowing any heavy trucks or heavy machinery anywhere near the tree, the brick veneer and mortar was carried everywhere by hand, and trying to minimize grade changes during construction. And almost everyone - wife included - has insisted since the project began -- to remove the tree. Unfortunately, he will have to comply.

Brent Ferris

I was a bit disappointed too. I spent about two hours with him, and he liked the advice, but implied payment was not really an option.

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