4 ms·

How do you get trees to avoid destroying concrete/pavement with roots ? We have a lot of old trees around and the pavement around them is bulged, cracked and d

How do you get trees to avoid destroying concrete/pavement with roots ? We have a lot of old trees around and the pavement around them is bulged, cracked and deformed.

clairity 5y ago
primarily by choosing an appropriate tree that doesn't do that. countersinking the tree can work in some cases too (often with a metal grating around the base of the tree so people don't fall in and hurt themselves). i don't know that you can "fix" the roots once the tree has become well established, without seriously damaging the tree and potentially creating additional hazard.
- bcrosby95 5y ago
  You also have to be careful of mainlines and turning that into swiss cheese with the root system. Ultimately it takes a fair amount of research to pick the right location and tree.
  - harmmonica 5y ago
    like parent commenter said LA actually has a list of acceptable “street trees” that they’ve approved so they don’t kill the sidewalks. some of the most glorious trees you’ll see here are ficus, but those are not on the list because they do blow away sidewalks, streets, utilities. unbelievable shade trees though that require very little water.
    - clairity 5y ago
      i just learned that a huge, grand old tree in my neighborhood is a species of ficus, and indeed, the sidewalk next to it is a buckled, gnarled mess. but i’d rather deal with that problem than harm the tree (it seems like it would be pretty straightforward to build a concrete ramp over the roots, like a mini-bridge).
      - Tempest1981 5y ago
        See if you can get a rubber sidewalk: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5615795 https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=561579... (2006)
        clairity 5y ago
        that's neat, like the temporary flooring used for outdoor 3-on-3 basketball tournaments. a concrete bridge would probably be smoother, more durable, and require less maintenance, but the interlinked rubber segments would be easier to reuse/reposition over time and being semi-permeable is a useful property for other reasons.
      - harmmonica 5y ago
        ah super cool. fully agree that taking a tree like that out would be a travesty. and I'm not insensitive to the infirm or disabled when having to deal with broken sidewalks, but taking those trees out would be a sin when there are other ways to address the root damage like the ramp you suggest or those rubber tile things.
- burnished 5y ago
  Ooooh, countersinking a tree to get its roots below the pavement, with a metal grating to keep people out.. thanks, I used to wonder about this and had no idea why some one would do that.
strogonoff 5y ago
> How do you get trees to avoid destroying concrete/pavement with roots? If that type of tree is known to have extensive roots, perhaps you could use smaller tiles on the pavement nearby and let the roots find their way. The eventual result might look unsettling to some, though[0] (I know it does to me). I guess it does make part of the pavement inaccessible for wheelchair users… But then I believe that must be a massive old tree there. [0] https://imgur.com/a/k8OUF84 https://imgur.com/a/k8OUF84
mellavora 5y ago
So maybe the tree is more valuable than the pavement? It is a living being, it has lived there for many years. Maybe we can show it some respect? Learn to live with it, as it lives with you? Appreciate the many benefits it brings, direct and indirect? We aren't separate from nature, killing it is killing ourself.

How do you get trees to avoid destroying concrete/pavement with roots ? We have a lot of old trees around and the pavement around them is bulged, cracked and deformed.

clairity 5y ago

primarily by choosing an appropriate tree that doesn't do that. countersinking the tree can work in some cases too (often with a metal grating around the base of the tree so people don't fall in and hurt themselves). i don't know that you can "fix" the roots once the tree has become well established, without seriously damaging the tree and potentially creating additional hazard.

bcrosby95 5y ago
You also have to be careful of mainlines and turning that into swiss cheese with the root system. Ultimately it takes a fair amount of research to pick the right location and tree.
- harmmonica 5y ago
  like parent commenter said LA actually has a list of acceptable “street trees” that they’ve approved so they don’t kill the sidewalks. some of the most glorious trees you’ll see here are ficus, but those are not on the list because they do blow away sidewalks, streets, utilities. unbelievable shade trees though that require very little water.
  - clairity 5y ago
    i just learned that a huge, grand old tree in my neighborhood is a species of ficus, and indeed, the sidewalk next to it is a buckled, gnarled mess. but i’d rather deal with that problem than harm the tree (it seems like it would be pretty straightforward to build a concrete ramp over the roots, like a mini-bridge).
    - Tempest1981 5y ago
      See if you can get a rubber sidewalk: https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5615795 https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=561579... (2006)
      - clairity 5y ago
        that's neat, like the temporary flooring used for outdoor 3-on-3 basketball tournaments. a concrete bridge would probably be smoother, more durable, and require less maintenance, but the interlinked rubber segments would be easier to reuse/reposition over time and being semi-permeable is a useful property for other reasons.
    - harmmonica 5y ago
      ah super cool. fully agree that taking a tree like that out would be a travesty. and I'm not insensitive to the infirm or disabled when having to deal with broken sidewalks, but taking those trees out would be a sin when there are other ways to address the root damage like the ramp you suggest or those rubber tile things.
burnished 5y ago
Ooooh, countersinking a tree to get its roots below the pavement, with a metal grating to keep people out.. thanks, I used to wonder about this and had no idea why some one would do that.

strogonoff 5y ago

> How do you get trees to avoid destroying concrete/pavement with roots? If that type of tree is known to have extensive roots, perhaps you could use smaller tiles on the pavement nearby and let the roots find their way. The eventual result might look unsettling to some, though[0] (I know it does to me). I guess it does make part of the pavement inaccessible for wheelchair users… But then I believe that must be a massive old tree there. [0] https://imgur.com/a/k8OUF84 https://imgur.com/a/k8OUF84

mellavora 5y ago

So maybe the tree is more valuable than the pavement? It is a living being, it has lived there for many years. Maybe we can show it some respect? Learn to live with it, as it lives with you? Appreciate the many benefits it brings, direct and indirect? We aren't separate from nature, killing it is killing ourself.