Tree roots and pipes by SE Water Australia

Eric Frei

Can be helpful and lists some species to avoid.

Attached Files

treeroots.pdf (258.8 KB, 13544 views)

__________________

azrael

This Sydney Water leaflet has a useful list of the trees to AVOID planting near sewers. It gives a damage rating for each species.

Attached Files

SewerFixKeepingPlantRootsOut.pdf (82.8 KB, 349 views)

TreeDimensional

Referance materialFrom reading the pdf in Ekka's post, it didn't take long for me to realize that the tree again are gettin' the blame for the shortcomings of man. The tree roots DO effect sewer blockages, however in our part of the world sewer pipes have to be buried BELOW the frost line, and that would be at least 10' deep.

I don't pretend to know how deep Melborne burys their sewer line, but I would bet that the sewer lines that are blocked are old CLAY lines, which are perhaps fractured OR have leaky seals at joints. A couple years ago I attended a conferance where Drs. Kim Coder and Ed Gilman were speaking to the issues of TREES AND INFRASTRUCTURE. The one point that Dr. Coder made was that as a rule a tree will NOT send a root into soil that doesn't have at least 10% oxygen in it. This being said,if a sewer line fails, we have two things that a tree needs to survive, oxygen and moisture.

We have removed LARGE poplars that had declined to near total death, from nitrate poisioning from a septic tank. The very first cut to live tissue immediatley woke up my sense of smell. I believe the trees that are the worst vialator of sewer lines are species that are NOT water thrifty (Drought tolerant). In Canada the BIG three would be Poplar, WIllow and Birch.

I am NOT a tree hugger, but I am getting a little ticked off at City managers blaming the trees when in fact it is peoples fault for failing to think through all the possible senarios to the conflict between man and nature. I am going to attach a link to Dr. Gilmans site, where he is conducting an experiment on sidewalks, they are in the Power Point section. Dr. Gilman has my utmost respect for making his work available to the general public. The link is Pruning - Landscape plants - Edward F. Gilman - UF/IFAS

Sean Freeman

I agree 100% TreeDimensional, Dr Ed Gilmans willingness to share his understanding about how when and where to prune is a lesson to all Arb people, its about getting the best outcomes for the tree and people in the long term. An Illustrated Guide to Pruning should be comulsary reading for all budding CA's.

When it comes to the growth patterns of tree roots unfortunately in many of our super compacted soils the action of trenching tends to produce a preferred growing medium compared to the surrounding profiles, and the pipes make excellent anchorage for trees....but I also have seen, read and heard trees repeatedly being singled out when the evidence for their role in the damage to built infrastructure is sketchy at best.

mdvaden

In our cities, the greater number of sewer lines are not the fewer larger municipal ones, but the smaller ones routed from residences toward the street area. And most of those are not very deep.

Even if they are "air-tight" glued at the seams, they do get crushed or displaced to the end of breaking sometimes.

olyman

i can attest to this--as i have a LARGE norway maple in my front yard--and the old hub clay sewer lines are out there to the street---guess what--the tree roots like to plug it---not so much in a moist year--but dry!!!!!!!!!!!!!! i cleaned it out three times last year!!!!!!!!! but im not cutting the tree down--as direct sunlight stays off my house till 3 in the afternoon--------

TreeDimensional

Yup, with rising costs of electricity, it might be cheaper to pay the rotorooter guy. In the long haul it is still cheaper to maintain an old sewer line (roto=root) than it would be to bore in a new line under the existing tree.

Eric Frei

You can internal line them too you know, very effective.

Nu Flow Australia, Cured in place pipe lining, Trenchless pipe repairs. watch the video

__________________

olyman

ekka----the link to nuflow wont post----

olyman

ekka---i finally got it to link--anywho--wonder if theres someone in the states doing this???

Eric Frei

Search pipe relining on google

Trouble is when I search it gives me all the aussie ones coz of my IP address. You'll get different results over there.

__________________

Eric Frei

Excellent PDF attached where real field tests are done on a variety of pipes to test root intrusion by a variety of species.

Attached Thumbnails

 

Attached Files

pipes-and-roots.pdf (481.6 KB, 686 views)

__________________

Oldtimer

Nice Article Eric.
I have been wondering how long will the roots of a tree planted right over the sewer line (in my neighbors Yard) will take to penetrate or if the PVC pipe may be collapsed/damaged by the weight of the tree over the pipe. Only time will tell I guess.

clementine

I have done the pipe lining you talk of when I was with Dynorod, back in 1990.

__________________
Meddle not in the affairs of dragons - for you are crunchy and taste of chicken!