tree roots vs concrete sidewalk

[slightlyhuman]

I've got a tree growing in my front yard with the roots heading towards my house and sidewalk.

Here's a few pictures. I really don't want to take the entire tree down. Would taking an axe to the roots close to the sidewalk/flowerbeds help or should I get a professional opinion or just cut it down? I really don't want to have a cracked foundation or sidewalk, the house is 9 years old.

I forgot to take a picture of the actual tree, I will tonight.

 

[RagingBITCH]

Our current house had some foundation issues before we bought it. We had a structural engineer come out and take a look. One of the things he recommended was a root barrier b/t the house and a huge tree we have in our front yard. It'd prevent the roots from getting too close to the foundation and uprooting it, not to mention preventing a bigger loss of moisture from the soil surrounding the house.

 

[mizzou]

pay the small fee to comsult with an arborist first in my opinion

 

[slightlyhuman]

have someone looking at it this week. will update

 

[highland145]

Not sure why you would pay someone. The roots have to go. Cut them, put in the 30" barrier, if the tree dies, get rid of it.

 

[slightlyhuman]

Not sure why you would pay someone. The roots have to go. Cut them, put in the 30" barrier, if the tree dies, get rid of it.

the consultation is free. i would cut it down myself before paying someone. i want to keep the tree if possible, just getting a professional opinion i suppose.

i'm surprised the people that built the house didn't have the barrier put down(to my knowledge at least) because the tree is about as old as the house.

 

[highland145]

Probably because it was a 6' tree when they planted it. We planted a maple when we had the yard/drive redone. It's probably 10' from the new drive and patio. It's going to be a problem eventually but we just didn't think about it at the time other than "A maple would be great shade there." 20/20 hindsight, I have it.

 

[slightlyhuman]

Probably because it was a 6' tree when they planted it. We planted a maple when we had the yard/drive redone. It's probably 10' from the new drive and patio. It's going to be a problem eventually but we just didn't think about it at the time other than "A maple would be great shade there." 20/20 hindsight, I have it.

i'm saying. this tree provides massive shade for my office and i've got tube amps, computers and an aquarium in there. sucks i'm probably going to axe the tree.

going to cut roots first and if it dies, as you suggested, take care of it then.

 

[TheGardener]

Very expensive to have a professional cut down a tree. But if it is a big tree, it would be worth it to avoid having it fall on your house.

The roots should ground up. There is a machine to do this.

Most people think about today when planting trees and shrubs. Eventually they get big. 15 to 20 feet is the minimum distance to plant a tree from a house or a sidewalk.

 

[squirrel dog]

what kind of tree? On some , the roots act like 'toes' and keep the tree from blowing over Pine is a good example . You could rent a trencher from homedepot drop it down to three feet and fill with bagged cement . I would cut down and grind stump . An arborist can advise , usually for free .

 

[slightlyhuman]

Here's a few pics of the tree/leaves:

 

[mizzou]

If it's a silver maple, just put it out of it's misery right now. They are absolutely terrible mature trees to have in your yard if you live in any area prone to thunderstorms or ice storms.

"The silver maple is often planted as an ornamental tree because of its rapid growth and ease of propagation and transplanting. It is highly tolerant of urban situations, and is frequently planted next to streets. However, its quick growth produces brittle wood, and is commonly damaged in storms. The silver maple's root system is shallow and fibrous, and easily invades septic fields and old drain pipes; it can also crack sidewalks and foundations. It is a vigorous resprouter, and if not pruned, will often grow with multiple trunks. Although it naturally is found near water, it can grow on drier ground if planted there. In ideal natural conditions, A. saccharinum may live up 130 years, but in urban environments often 80 or less.

Following WWII, silver maples were commonly used as a landscaping and street tree in suburban housing developments and cities due to their rapid growth, especially as a replacement for the blighted American Elm. However, they fell out of favor for this purpose because of brittle wood, unattractive form when not pruned or trained, and tendency to produce large numbers of volunteer seedlings, and nowadays it is much less popular for this purpose to the point where some towns and cities banned its use as a street tree."

 

[piasabird]

Chop it down and plant gumball trees they are more fun.

Thats a joke.