Removing Bitumen to allow for larger permreable area

rich 75

hi all

this is my first question and i am sure not the last. I work as a landscape designer in Coffs harbour. We are doing a job where there is a large Turpentine next to a disused bitumen carpark area. we are contemplating removing the bitumen (apox 15m sq) to allow for a larger permeable area around the tree.

i was going to suggest using a jack hammer and removing the bitumen carefully so as not to effect any of the roots.

any one had any experience with this kind of situation?

treeshaveneeds

I am not familiar with a Turpentine Tree, and Coff's harbour is too vague for me, but how thick is the bitumen, and how porous do you think it is/has been? I think I would come out as far as I wanted to come and work backwards towards the tree. If roots were present at maximum distance, removal of the bitumen might require a different approach, like carefully prying it up.

Eric Frei

Yeah I have.

It's best using an excavator and it lifts up in huge chunks.

Excavator sits away from the tree but facing the tree, boom out and peel up toward machine.

If the edge of the bitumin is not clear etc, get it clean cut with a concrete saw etc for a start point.

Doing it this way the machine isn't ripping up the sub-base by running over it and screwing on it.

Depending on the sub-base and compaction you can put a rockbreaker style attachment into the excavator and mechanically decompact the sub-base, water in compost tea or similar and then get the excavator to mulch it up .... all done without driving on it.

Well, that's what I do anyway.

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rich 75

thanks for the response, we will give the excavtor a go, will let you know how it works out.

Eric Frei

Take some pictures and lets see what was under there. Get some details on the the depth of bitumin, when laid etc.

These are the sort of facts we need to get a handle on roots beneath roads.

I've done a few and one had ZERO roots, another had a few but the roots did a major detour all around the road ... tree was at the end of a culd-e-sac.

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treeshaveneeds

Any of the sites where I have removed Bitumen had zero tree roots, unless the the asphalt is so old that grasses and weeds have sprouted everywhere, the pavement is really patchy and crumbly, then sometimes roots of aggressive trees will grow there -- probably only after most of the toxins have leached away.
I have never had the opportunity to use an excavator on such a large area. Trees here are almost never considered as important as bitumen.