tree causing problems

[simonm]

So i went to look at a job yesterday it was a faitly big silver birch growing about 10 foot away from the front of a house. the front wall of the house was cracked and the flags round it were all lifted oh and their was a small retaing wall near the tree that was also lifted. anyway the owner of the house had a structural engineer out and he says that because the foundations are clay and its been such a dry year the tree is sucking moisture out the ground and causing the clay to sink just enough to damage the building. ive never come across this before! i know that roots can sometimes cause heave but unsure about the other?

[Mark James]

Such a dry year where is this tree, Spain? I would say it could happen but unless there has been a constant mirco climate over the area it has no been a dry year.

[Graham]

Such a dry year where is this tree, Spain? I would say it could happen but unless there has been a constant mirco climate over the area it has no been a dry year.

 

You need to try digging a hole around here. Ground is bone dry after virtually no rain in April, May and half of June! Bit better now though.

[simonm]

it has been a really dry year though and where the tree is growing is on the top of a steep slope so most of the moisture is going to go to lower ground!

[Daniël Bos]

Such a dry year where is this tree, Spain? I would say it could happen but unless there has been a constant mirco climate over the area it has no been a dry year.

 

Maybe it's been nice in NI:confused1: but here (in Lincs) I've had drought cracks (some 4ft deep!) in my land from february, and they're still there! That's on heavy-ish clay. We have a major moisture deficiency, earlier in the year the government declared an official drought status for the east midlands and though we have had a bit of rain since (just after cuting the hay obviously, and then some more when combining) but nowhere near enough to counterbalance!

[Billy]

i know that roots can sometimes cause heave but unsure about the other?

Roots cause subsidence of strcutures built on reactive clays as when the tree and weather remove a substantial amount of moisture fromthe soil it causes shrinakge leaving voids beneath the foundations, casuing them to sink and crack.

[simonm]

thanks for that billy

[Old Mill Tree Care]

So i went to look at a job yesterday it was a faitly big silver birch growing about 10 foot away from the front of a house. the front wall of the house was cracked and the flags round it were all lifted oh and their was a small retaing wall near the tree that was also lifted. anyway the owner of the house had a structural engineer out and he says that because the foundations are clay and its been such a dry year the tree is sucking moisture out the ground and causing the clay to sink just enough to damage the building. ive never come across this before! i know that roots can sometimes cause heave but unsure about the other?

 

 

Really? Read this book - Tree Root Damage to Buildings. Author is Giles Biddle.

 

I'm always surprised when tree surgeons tell me they havnt read this kind of stuff.

[Adam Bourne]

Maybe it's been nice in NI:confused1: but here (in Lincs) I've had drought cracks (some 4ft deep!) in my land from february, and they're still there! That's on heavy-ish clay. We have a major moisture deficiency, earlier in the year the government declared an official drought status for the east midlands and though we have had a bit of rain since (just after cuting the hay obviously, and then some more when combining) but nowhere near enough to counterbalance!

 

confirm that buddy....... dry as hell

 

wanted to do some fereting the other weekend but it is just to dry to dig the buggers out.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

Felling is one option, reduction cyclic, the prefered options of many a consultant/insurer.

 

Why is Irrigation needs not discussed EVER, wouldnt be hard to calculate a rough figure to counteract tree needs and irrigate that amount to counteract tree deficits, oh but wait, if we start doing that the insurers will have to start underpinning and acknowledging its THE CLIMATE changes!