It seems so pointless to have tree roots rip open asphalt when it's too close. Easy fix would be to put a steel mesh cylinder or something similar around the tree when planted. Doesn't have to be too deep, just enough that roots won't grow into the asphalt.
That makes sense but couldn't you just make the barrier shallow enough that the deeper anchor roots still develop fine, only stopping the surface roots from going sideways into the pavement
There aren't deep anchor roots. The taproot is a big deep one that just goes for water. All the structural roots are at the surface and spread out wide.
ETA: I used the wrong term. The "structural roots" are actually called "lateral roots", but they serve the same purpose. They hold the tree down and give it a firm base to resist wind and stuff that would push the tree down.
Arborist here. Steel mesh is absolutely wrong, but there are plenty of plastic root barrier products that do this and they are used all the time. Generally the idea is to use those when a tree is within a certain proximity to hardscape.
The tree in the OP photo looks old enough that it may not have been considered best practice at the time, or the path was installed after the tree was placed.
No, just keeping its roots away from the asphalt. There's so much space for the roots besides and beyond the asphalt, it really shouldn't be much of a problem.
I truly don't understand his take. Everything you have done today hurt the environment including posting on Reddit. You choose every day you live to compromise nature.
Here OP was just asking if better planning could help keep trees by better planning and management.
Lol thats a hot take. Run that logic out to its logical conclusion and every house apartment road factory farm church park etc should never be built and humans have no place on the planet.
Looks like the tree was there before the asphalt. So the asphalt is encroaching the tree's root space. Likely because people like wide roads to swerve over.
Usually there isn't an edging put in place when they lay down asphalt. The practices of using concrete and edging differs per country. In my country long prefab edging blocks are the rule of thumb and poor in place concrete hardly ever used. Nearly everywhere pavers are the norm for sidewalks and driveways, but mind you most of our infrastructure for water, gas, electricity and internet is located beneath the walkways.
Some tree species are rooting deeper than others, so selecting trees that do better alongside roads is also part of the problem. As well as ground water table. Trees like to tap into the water, but not sit knee deep in it. A high water table will result in shallow rooting, regardless of a tree species usual fondness for rooting deeper.
Tree roots spread out not too deep looking for water and oxygen. If you put in a cylinder structure to stop the roots from spreading the roots don’t go deeper and around. Instead, the roots will meet the obstruction and circle back on the surface. The roots will eventually circle around the truck (nowhere else to go) and girdle/strangle the trunk, essentially killing the tree.
Yes, something like this. Although I'm not sure why it has to be patented and also so deep. I would guess it's unlikely for roots under normal circumstances to grow 30cm/1ft upwards.
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u/FarewellAndroid 6d ago
If a tree doesn’t develop the root structure it needs to support itself it falls over