need input ASAP, alternative to root cutting

speelyei

speelyei

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hey all. Yeah, I left this forum a while ago. A situation has prompted me to return to ask for educated, constructive input.

A State Park I work in, and consult to, has come up with a pretty crappy plan.... lemme fill you in.

this State Park is located on the Central oregon coast. it is home to dozens of fantastic, exaggerated examples of Nurse logs and stumps. imagine an 85' sitka spruce 36"dbh sitting atop a bird-cage like root structure a grown man could walk through.... now imagine 50 or 60 examples of this, some over 100 years old...
the indigenous trees are Picea sitchensis, Thuja plicata, and Tsuga heterophylla. There is a lot of Alnus rubra and a bunch of invasive Pinus contorta as well...
the state park consists of about 15 loops assigned a letter designation, and each loop has about 25 campsites. An asphalt road winds between the big trees. Over the years, the asphalt has buckled and pitted, and the roots of the trees have broken through the asphalt in many places. this park sees non-stop use, dozens of campers every single day of the year.
The State wants to re-pave and re-grade many of the sites, which is reasonable. They are contracting to a paving company which will perform the work.
The Powers that be in the Park system have decided that they want to:
1. Cut any root that has broken through the asphalt before paving.

2. Remove any tree that has had a root cut or removed.

They have already marked six healthy trees over 65' in height and over 20" dbh.

So here's the deal..
they are gonna pave. it's not debateable.
they are not gonna move the roads or the campsites to accomodate the trees.
they are not going to pave without taking some sort of mitigating action where the root/paving conflict is likely.

Does anyone have any verifiable, documented cases that could be of use when I write a proposal to save these trees?
I am interested in any innovative, effective procedures used to pad/insulate/bridge large established tree roots that are to be paved over...

I probably have until next tuesday to put something legitimate together or else we're just gonna end up removing them.

Thanks, -C
 
Those Geocells look good, IF the grade can be raised that high, and the budget is there.

It would be interesting to hear the input from park users on the proposal to remove vs. having cracks in the asphalt. Did someone trip and sue? What is driving this project, besides the lust to operate machines and glorify vehicles, and spread your tax dollars around wastefully?

Many other alternatives described in this book. The challenge is to get the goodoldboy paving company to do something new. If they are led to see the same amount of profit without having to think too much, you may succeed.

Reducing Infrastructure Damage by Tree Roots Description
By Laurence R. Costello and Katherine S. Jones

Damage to infrastructure by tree roots is a major expense in practically every city. This compendium was developed to serve as a concise and comprehensive reference on the subject of tree and infrastructure conflicts. With up-to-date descriptions and assessments of methods used to reduce damage, this resource is intended to provide tree managers, planners, and engineers with the information they need to create effective management plans. (©2003, softcover, 119 pp., appendices, index) Member Price $19.95
 
Hi speelyei our council cuts and grinds roots to replace lifted footpath, over the years they have documented very few failures due to root cutting(i was suprised too) We just had a big storm come through our area in June 2007, the worst in 30 years and very few street trees went over due to root pruning.
All i can recommend is you go by your gut feeling for indivdual trees.
 
[ QUOTE ]
very few street trees went over due to root pruning.


[/ QUOTE ]That does not sound like success to me. One tree falling due to neglectful, substandard practices can do a lot of damage.
 
Hi guymayor it is better than removing thousands of trees which is the other alternatives.
Poor planting programs in the past have created this problem with the cost of properly addressing the problem being way beyond the council.
We are trying to change the planting processes of the landscape department but I will still drive past trees planted 2m from power poles so what are you to do.
 
Rather than laying the asphalt in a continuous lift have them install something like an expansion joint to control the potential future cracking. If a crack develops it would be easier to repair with a smooth edge.
 
Good luck on this one C.

My thoughts echo GuyM, how DO the park users feel? Most likely it's the awesome trees that keep the people coming every day. I recently tried to camp at a remote county park because it was close to a remote fishin' hole, but when we got there we found that the trees in the campground had recently been thinned with a mechanical harvester, when I asked the camground host wazzup he says the trees were cut to increase sunlight and reduce hazards, I informed him that the the new logging site ambience was not worth the fee so I would be spending the night for free on the roadside.

I suppose surveying and petitioning the campers would be too time consuming, but it seems like they should have a say since it's their tax dollars paying for the road rehab.

Sorry for the $1 worth of 2 cents.
 
Hi -E! How ya been? I thought you dropped off the planet!
Yeah, the timelines just arent there, and furthermore, I dont think the average park user has the background to make an informed decision.
A lot of these things just happen by default... the park got built, it needs maintenace, the roads and spots are paved, the asphalt needs upgrading, the tree roots are sticking through... everything is reactionary, not pro-active.
Im going to go talk to the Head Ranger, she's pretty open minded, and see if I can't play Lorax for a bit. Myabe I can post some pics of what i am looking at for the benefit of the masses.
 
Pics would be excellent.

Don't underestimate the knowledge of the park users--they know that they come for the trees, and don't want them gone if there are ways to have the roads and the trees too. Get 3 of them on videotape--how long does that take?

I can't imagine calling myself a consultant if I did not have and use the available $20. references.
 
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