Then how do all those trees survive? Especially the ones planted in the city. The roots are surrounded by sidewalks and pavement surfaces

They get a few roots towards cracks.

Wait till the next big storm and look at the ones which are blown over. Many will only have 1/2 a root system because they largely don't grow under the pavement.

Remember trees in nature grow in crevaces on rock cliffs. Around here anyways they are easily viewable from the highway.

Sometimes there is a lawn on one side of the tree, so the tree can reach it's roots to the lawn. As I said, many trees can "hold their breath" the width of a sidewalk. Some cities water their trees. Sometimes there is a square of dirt around the tree, and the trees is effectively a potted plant. Any many cities just replace trees frequently...trees in many urban areas don't have long life expediencies.

A mature cherry tree transplanted to three feet from a driveway probably won't have a super long life expectancy. On the other hand, it will have a decent root system on one side.

Then there are situations like the street in front of our house. Ever since it was repaved a few years ago, there has been a spring in a crack in the middle after every heavy rain. The first time I saw it, I thought it was a leaking water pipe, but that doesn't seem to be the issue.

"Then how do all those trees survive? Especially the ones planted in the city. The roots are surrounded by sidewalks and pavement surfaces. Which is why you do not see an incredible variety of species in the most hostile urban sites. A few species seem to thrive nonetheless. I'm thinking of Gingko biloba planted all over Jurassic island known as 'Manhattan'.

first of all .. why in the world would you plant a TREE 3 or 4 feet from a driveway.. SO IT WILL GET BIG ....

my no name generic weeping cherry is 10 to 15 feet wide ...

whats that all about ...

next .. if a tree is 2 or 3 times as large underground ..... why is a little pavement an issue ... the tree will put its roots where its roots will function adequately enough to support the tree ... it will get the water it needs from unaffected roots .. and will soon enough have roots on the other side of the pavement ..

ken

Why? It saves a lot of space to plant other plants in my lawn. My driveway is about 12 feet wide so there is soil after that but its just in between the cherry won't be getting any water which I don't know if that makes a difference or not. I might just have my whole driveway pavement removed since its old and cracking anyway and then replace it with gravels..

I don't think the soil underneath a roadway is necessarily bone dry. If there's a ditch next to the street that collects water, some of that water will soak into the soil underneath the asphalt.

Most of the damage I see to trees growing next to a street is caused by underground utilities, not the street itself. Whether it's a phone line, sewer pipes, or water pipes, everytime they get repaired they run a ditch witch through it and sever the roots.

So are you saying the days on the tree in this picture are counted b/c planted by driveway on one side and street on another side??? I have an oak planted in about the same place as the tree Shown. Never thought it'd be a problem.

I am often amazed at how large trees manage in city streets with no visible open ground for some distance around. But they do. The classic is the London Plane but there are many other species which seem to cope well. The ground is not bone dry, at least not in my climate. When a trench or hole is dug for roadworks or utilities you can see that. Water can travel sideways in soil. It doesn't have to have fallen directly above the roots. And roots can travel too.

There is an air pocket that forms under pavement in most cases. You wouldn't believe what I've seen going on under paved city streets!. Floral is exactly right, roots and water and air travel extensive horizontal distances.

Alright so I shouldn't have to worry about planting big trees next to pavements? I am also looking to plant a conifer hedge on the border between mine and my neighbor's property but right next to it is my neighbor's newly paved driveway. I'm thinking cryptomeria japonica 'radicans'

The issues would be space, leaf drop, sight lines, etc rather than water imo.

These seem to have been coping for decades despite being hemmed in by hard surfaces.

trees have been planted next to roads since game of thrones started filming...er, I mean...what's a very long time?

a recurring thread is trees lifting pavement of one kind or another. often, in these threads, the tree was planted in a small square cut out of a sidewalk. trees are routinely planted in islands in parking lots, and thrive for at least a few decades. when they are taken down, or start to decline, there's usually proximal causes that cannot rule out factors concerning root growth, development and ability of the tree to find it's water.

A very long time ago, I ran across an article that measured tree root growth and spread in urban settings. Part of the trouble is in the nature of studies, funding, and construction/development. Studies take time to plan, lots more time to get the funding, and then, you kinda have to be sorta careful in how you go about collecting and recording your data...and construction timetables aren't necessarily kind to such things.

At any rate, to make the long story short, the condensed version is that trees (and plants in general) are far better at finding ways to exist in the most contrived situations than we have any reason to hope. Full disclosure: this was a long time ago I found this article, and while I'll try to faithful in reflecting what was written, it was a long time ago. Somehow, this guy found a place where a lot of demolition/removal was happening, and he got to go in and try to assess root growth in a urban environment...so we're talking median strips, boulevards, small squares cut into sidewalks. Simply put, roots found a way to grow, not necessarily evenly, but they found ways to snake through the compaction and fill of urban construction designed for heavy traffic.

you're speaking of a suburban residential environment. think you have anything to worry about?