Soil piled around the base of a tree - How to remedy?

15 years ago

Hello,

My husband and I recently purchased a house whose yard was overgrown and uncared for. At the base of a mature maple tree in the backyard we found a large mound of soil piled around the base of the tree (about 2 feet deep). We have started to remove some of the dirt, which is very compacted, and are finding many small, tangled roots that have grown out of the trunk (or up from the ground?) and we are unsure how to proceed in order not to hurt the tree further. We would like to remove the soil but with the smaller roots were are wondering if we are just hurting the tree.

Any suggestions? Has anyone had to deal with this before?

Thanks for your help!

Kim

Featured Answer

Embothrium

15 years ago

Tolerance of burial depends on species of tree and texture of soil. Some trees are able to survive quite a depth of dense soil being dumped on them all at once. As might be expected these tend to be those occurring on floodplains.

The best general procedure is to assume trees will be adversely affected by even a shallow layer of fill and avoid subjecting them to it. Where it is desired to underplant existing trees with new, small plants a minimal layer of very light, highly aerated material can be tried in order to get the new plants going.

One of the most important points is to not cut the trees off from precipitation with a fill. Before filling the trees will have a network of fine roots just below the surface, enabling them to make use of all the moisture that gets into the surface layer after falling from the sky. Even when using a shallow layer of highly aerated material extra watering should be undertaken to compensate for the new layer of material between the tree's roots and the atmosphere.

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Comments (17)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
I like the 'kimbo.akimbo' nom d' e-.

Many maple species can take periodic inundation, which is why yours hasn't perished. Nonetheless, you should proceed slowly and deliberately and remove the soil, as it is usually detrimental in the long run for most tree species. The small volume of roots your are dooming is of small consequence to the tree, and the tree should have the soil out of there. Good luck in your new home and yard.

Dan
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
You can cut the exposed root ends with a sharp clean knife (remove any ragged ends) after you remove the dirt if you want to do everything possible to minimize damage to the tree. But, as Dan stated, if it's only a small area you have to excavate, it's unlikely to damage the tree.
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Tree rings are widely derided in landscape design circles (I think the Renegade Gardener does a send-up) but embraced by many ordinary people whose objective is to make their yard look nice as opposed to achieving a certain design standard for the big picture. I have to say that my reaction to them varies, in that there are some very ridiculous looking exemplars, others where I have to drop my snobbery and also say, gosh, that's pretty. And I mean, it isn't always obvious what else you can do to make a tree grow attractively out of a lawn, independent of whether the tree is well chosen for the site or well placed on the lot - either you can't mow right up to the trunk so you have unmowed grass and weeds, or the roots/tree debris cause an uneven and sickly bare patch under the canopy. So yes, the rings often do look neat and beautiful. I think your circle will be fine for the tree. I doubt the amount of foot traffic you describe will affect the tree. I suspect too that the roots will grow further down into the ground than the one layer of brick, and if they do encounter that obstacle, they will grow under it (if you have plastic or landscape fabric, which you should not have, the roots will stay closer to the surface in a desperate quest for water, and will lift the brick - this may happen anyway if it is a very surface-rooted tree). Mostly, your roots will go down far enough to be undisturbed, and a five foot circle certainly gives the tree enough room to compensate a bit for any excess trampling that does occur outside the circle. Just keep an eye on your tree and see if it looks happy and healthy. Trees have ways of letting you know if the conditions aren't right - you just have to train yourself to recognize what they are telling you. KarinL
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ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
15 years ago
30 years ago.. i piled about 2 feet of soil... around 20 feet out from the trunk ... on a 1.5 foot wide maple .... about 30 to 40 foot high

its now 60 feet high.. 2 feet across ... and grew roots into the new soil within one year.. to the point you couldnt put a shovel into it ..

frankly.. i doubt you can kill a maple with soil ...

also.. consider that the important feeder roots.. are one to two times as far from the trunk as the width of the canopy ...

if it were me... i would find something better to do.. because i would fear causing more harm by removing it.. than just leaving it alone ...

or.. since i like to shade garden.. i would just get rid of a maple ...

ken
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
We were driving around today (both of us arborists) and saw a row of trees with cr*ppy pruning jobs, we discussed it for a minute and decided that the large limbs were pruned off so as to not fall on cars below. Limbs in danger of falling because the grade was changed and soil piled up around trunk.

Maple can tolerate occasional inundation but it doesn't make them better, and soil isn't occasional inundation.

Remove the soil and the tree has a better chance at thriving.

Dan
davidfoster
15 years ago
During the construction of my neighbors house several feet of soil was piled over the roots systems of his tulip poplars. Upon removing the trees and back counting the annual growth rings the entire trunks of the trees at the time of construction had rotted away leaving a hollow trunk. Many of the original roots eventually died and decayed; the decay led up into the main trunks leaving two extremely dangerous 105 foot trees.
kimbo.akimbo
Original Author
15 years ago
Thanks, everyone, for the recommendations! I think we're going to wait for a wet period and then proceed to remove the dirt and cut back the small root tangles. We can then check to see how the tree is doing.

Thanks again for your help!

Kim
Embothrium
15 years ago
When you find a bunch of tree roots in a fill that means the tree has already survived and responded to the change in grade. So it might be just as well to leave things as they are.
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
When you find a bunch of tree roots in a fill that means the tree has already survived and responded to the change in grade.

No.

Dan
brandon7 TN_zone7
15 years ago
That's not necessarily true bboy. Finding roots in the fill means the tree is attempting to survive the change in grade, but certainly doesn't assure the tree's ability to survive having it's root system suffocated. It's a good sign but not much in the way of a guarantee.
Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)
15 years ago
"Although there are reports of trees rooting into deep fill and surviving for long periods, placing fill over the trunks of trees is ill advised. Not only is exchange of gases disrupted, but many trees are subject to collar rot, which can occur if the trunk remains moist. A new root system develops in the fill, and the old system dies. The new root system may be adequate to keep the tree green and healthy, but asa the old root system decays, the stability of the tree is jeopardized." (pg 319)

Harris, Clark and Matheny 1999. Arboriculture: Integrated management of landscape trees, shrubs, and vines. Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle River NJ. 3rd Ed. 687 pp.

I am an arborist and have done numerous hazard assessments. Stop the madness. Soil around trunks is generally detrimental.

Dan
klshantz13
6 years ago
i have two 54 year old maples in my front yard. over the past three or four years they have huge humps at the base. One is about two feet tall and go out from the base about two feet. Should i be concerned? Why is this happening? I do not want to cut them down or have them fall down on my house
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
6 years ago
Start your own post. And include photos and a location of where the trees are growing.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
6 years ago
in your new post.. give us a pic of the trunk..and leaves if possible ...

it usually normal with a silver maple ... ken
klshantz13
6 years ago
I don't believe it is a silver maple and there are no leaves yet. As soon as there are i will post them. And i will post a picture of the base as soon as i can . thank you.
Kim Zimmerman
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
I just bought a house. The hugh tree (about 50 feet tall) in my front yard is about 6 feet from my front entrance. It has a big "mound" around the base of the trunk. There are landscaping bricks circling the tree. They are sloping and actually almost standing verticle instead of lying flat. I want to remove the bricks and remove the mound and level the area at the base of the trunk. Is this possible? Is this going to damage the tree. I do not know what kind of tree it is. I live in Northern Nevada and I know that it is not an Elm, or a Pine....I will try to a attach a photo.... but it's dark outside.
ken_adrian Adrian MI cold Z5
2 years ago
how about you start your own post.. and add a pic taken during the day ...

regardless of what we recommend.. there is no hurry to do something.. tree time is counted in decades ....

it wouldnt hurt to ID the tree .... try to find a leaf.. and give us a pic of it.. maybe after the next storm ...

this is not a big deal.. so dont make it one ....

ken

ps: most likely the answer is going to be.. move out the bricks.. find some other use for them ... they are not cheap .. may as well repurpose them ... and then start washing away the mounded up soil ... without so much pressure as to damage the tree .... keep in mind.. based on the size of that trunk ... the important roots of this tree.. the feeder roots are probably one or 2 doors down the street ... and a little hose water isnt going to hurt the trunk or roots at the trunk ....

Soil piled around the base of a tree - How to remedy?

Embothrium

Comments (17)

Dan _Staley (5b Sunset 2B AHS 7)

brandon7 TN_zone7

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Soil piled around the base of a tree - How to remedy?

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