Replacing cement when enlarging tree wells?

tomthetreeman

tomthetreeman

Participating member
Location
Rhode Island
Does anyone have experience with materials such as rubberized pavers, etc when replacing impervious paving materials? I have a couple ancient trees with a driveway constricting their roots/trunks, and once I remove the hardscaping and aerate the soil, I want to put something back that can be driven on and will not make the situation worse through compaction. Thoughts?

-Tom
 
No experience but I've read articles and spec sheets on some of the rubber type matts. They seem like a great solution. I've walked on some sidewalk/patio ares that used them. They seem to stand up to wear and tear too.

There are some systems that use plastic frame sections to create a structure like the ironwork in a building. They are more complicated but seem like a good solution too.

I think that 'Up by Roots' has some info on some solutions too.
 
Rubber makes good sidewalks, but that link makes my spamblocker barf.

What weight vehicle will be driving on it? Structural soil topped by cloth (well stapled at ends) topped by plastic grid panels set in sand has worked for this purpose.

Washed stone-fabric-crushnrun could work too; depends on soil type, location and size of nearby roots, soil quality and drainage, etc. Deep aeration probably a good idea. Got a pic?
 
No pics right now, but I can tell you that I won't have much space to work with as far as thickness. The trees are very old, and the roots are right there. I'll probably have about 4" of space to work with without altering the grade to an unacceptable level.

It's a driveway for cars only.

-Tom
 
Or maybe a path made from the soles of animal feet, like grizzly bear paws, where no compaction problems have occurred in nature? How bad could that be?
 
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Tom, what is an unacceptable raise in grade, if the roots are 'right there'?

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The driveway is currently almost perfectly flat, but it is obvious that there are large roots directly under the cement, which is probably 3" thick. If I remove the cement to install a more tree friendly surface, I have 3 or 4 inches to work with before the driveway starts to look like an undulating mess. I am thinking of just going with stone dust, but I'm not sure how that will lead to compaction in the future, possibly worsening the problem.

I am looking for something hopefully porous, that will prevent compaction. I want to disturb the root zone as little as possible, just going to air spade and perhaps amend the soil.

-Tom
 
If the roots have been covered by the current driveway for X years there is a good chance that there isn't any soil compaction. Before you air spade the whole area do a soil density test.

amending the soil could be done by using the air spade to bore holes and fill with your favorite blend. That way the soil stays undisturbed and doesn't need to be recompacted to support the new drive.
 
"If the roots have been covered by the current driveway for X years there is a good chance that there isn't any soil compaction. Before you air spade the whole area do a soil density test."

Totally agree--maybe flip that panel back, probe, and see if there is really a problem to fix. You're right about stone dust/screenings being less than ideal.

"amending the soil could be done by using the air spade to bore holes and fill with your favorite blend. That way the soil stays undisturbed and doesn't need to be recompacted to support the new drive."

Agreed. the holes should be as deep as possible, to aerate.
 
Thanks for all the advice guys. I will keep you posted on what the plan is; I'll have some pictures up this week. I am starting to think that the best option may be to just open up the constricted areas rather than replacing the whole driveway width. We shall see.

-Tom
 
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