Tree roots

Colin

Hello! This is my first posting and I'm hoping to get some good advice from all you experts. Here's my problem:

We have a woodland backyard and we are about to do some major home re-modeling. This includes having to extend our backyard deck. We are surrounded by evergreens and I'm concerned about damaging them through this process. A major problem is our walkway leading to our deck. Tree roots from some of our evergreens are dislodging the paver stones, making it an uneven and, consequently, dangerous walkway. Several years ago, we split the depth of the pavers which was an effective solution until the roots grew. The roots are now coming out of the ground in several spots. I'm worried about cutting back the roots as I've heard this may damage the trees. Also, I'm concerned about the construction going on so close to the trees (the tree trunks are literally 1 foot away from the deck). We love these trees and hate the thought that they could get damaged during this project. Any suggestions would be well-appreciated.

Eric Frei

Welcome

You did mention that it's a deck being built. To me that means above ground timberwork however will need some posts in the ground.

I know there's regulation for deck construction, certain sized beams for certain spans, certain distance between floor board slats etc.

Found a link that explains the terminology.

Anatomy of a deck

Try to place the posts where there's no roots or lessor roots. Try to have a slight gap in the decking timber so water can go through it easier.

With your walkway also come above ground with a deck style walkway. A boardwalk. These are becoming very common.

boardwalk - Google Image Search

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Sean Freeman

Step 1 areas of trees close to but not included in the construction fence off, no go to anyone

Step 2 areas inside the construction zone....where the foundations for the deck are going spread a thick layer of mulch across the entire area to protect the soil and roots from compactin during construction

Step 3 ensure your builder knows how much importance you are placing on the trees....you're the boss you run the site according to your site rules...tree protection 1st, builders convenience last

Step 4 select subfloor bearers with the largest span capacity...ie strongest beams you can afford this way you'll need less posts less foundations less impact

Step 5 work with the person designing the sub floor pattern to avoid as much as possible the visible buttress roots, and to give you some flexibility in post location..bigger span distances allow you to reduce the post numbers inside the deck.......from something like this

To something like this

Step 6 when digging for the foundations if you can use a water blaster (very long hose) to open up the post holes, this way you can find any roots in the holes and where possible adjust locations accordingly, those you do find that can't be avoided clean cut...don't tear.

Step 7 ensure no soil contamination outside of foundation holes..no wash down inside root zones, no storage of building materials inside root zones, no heavy plant machinery in there either..mostly manual labour.

Step 8 at the end of the job depending on your climate of course! Water the trees with a dilute solution of seaweed extract and fish emulsion 1:100, a dilute solution of molasses will really help promote root growth and health too.

Colin

Thanks so much for the quick responses and high-quality information. I feel much better equiped to discuss this issue with our contractor.