I've read that crabapple trees can be planted under, and the 20' x 25' one in our back yard has no surface roots at all after 30 yrs. The only thing I've planted under it is a Kousa 8 ft. away from its trunk and didn't run into problems digging out any underground root masses (unlike my maples, which have awful roots above & underground). There are lots of very disease-resistant varieties out now; some are dwarf like 'Camelot' (10 ft.). I understand 'Robinson' is one of the fastest growers. If you cut & paste this link, and scroll down to the chart, it gives a lot of valuable info on many of the new crabapples out there: http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/hort/consumer/factsheets/trees-new/cultivars/mallus_hybrids-table.html

Well, here are the 2 spots I've narrowed it down to. The side front yard where it would be on the WSW side of my house. The fence you see in my yard, to the left of it there's 3' more of my property. They couldn't set the fence any closer because of a power line underground. The reason I'm telling you guys this is because I'm curious to know if that would pose a problem with the tree down the line. If I were to plant it on this side of my house it would be about 3'-5' on my side of the property line, in line with the fence or chokeberry bush. Also, it would cross with the day lillies that run across the front of my house. Here's a few pictures. By the way, the small tree you see planted is a Kwazan Cherry I just planted about a month ago. Now, here's the other site I could plant it. It's on my side yard on the NE side of my house. I wouldn't get anything on the cooling end on my house but I'd get a screen from the street in the background. So there you have it for my choices. I also didn't mention that behind my neighbors house there is a small stream. It's about 200' from where the tree will be planted. I'm pretty sure that will only help this tree when it get's bigger. So there you have it. Which spot do you guys think is better? I'm also thinking about doing the planting on Saturday evening. Were supposed to get a few days break with the warm temps.

All such things are in flux. That load of new, white woodchips will soon oxidize and then begin decomposing, turning a darker color with each step. For a while, degree of airification may decrease (Depending on chip type, moisture, etc.) but still later, as the material becomes more fully decomposed, airification may increase. There's no absolutes in such matters, nevermore, but the good news is you're already on your way to developing that hard to quantify set of skills that allow you to notice the differences and to then make predicitions based on what you've seen before. What you'll ultimately come to realize is that most organic matter sources end up doing pretty much the same thing, but that the speed and duration of the varying steps and stages along the way varies. Sometimes I mulch with big, fresh woodchips because I want them to last longer. Other times I will use old half-decomposed stuff because I want a quicker improvement of the top layer of soil. Neither version is wrong, the goals just differ. And in the end, they will both give roughly the same results! +oM

I've observed Liriodendron for decades, it's probably my favorite tree. I'd ask the same questions that Tom has, and add this: the tree looks to be under great stress, it has been pruned to remove dead wood or maybe to 'balance' the loss of roots with the top, there are more dead branches in the top of the crown, and the foliage looks undersized. I've seen forest trees exhibit these same symptoms when the area they are growing in is heavily logged or severe weather removes many cohorts. A WAG (and I hope I'm wrong), the tree will continue to decline and become stag headed. There will be many epicormic shoots from the main limbs and trunk. It will never again regain it's former glory. It will probably live on for years, maybe decades, unless removed. Unless MASSIVE amounts of the root system were removed and the tree is structurally unstable, it won't fall. Large upper crown limbs that die may, however. Old poplars (and many other old trees) do not like to be messed with.