Root Collar Excavation/ Stem-girdling Root Pruning thread

southsoundtree

southsoundtree

Been here much more than a while
Location
Olympia, WA
Just a little basic, manual work to start. 2 wheelbarrow loads of soil from the easiest 20% of the circumference.

I found a plastic plant tag at sidewalk level, 8" +/- down from the built-up soil and mulch.

So far, almost no roots where there are problematic.

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I'm looking forward to an air spade as I hope to have more time for such work. So many buried collars!!!
 
Do you have good options for compressor rental?

I bought a compressor pretty quickly after buying the AirKnife.

It is great for even small jobs...even a single tree that has been over-mulched for 10 years. But small jobs are really hard to price approximately when you have to rent. Not just that you need to pay at least a half day (if not full) day rental cost for a couple hours max ..but spending a couple more hours going back and forth to pick it up and drop it off before the half day passes.

All that to say the $2500 for tool and hoses is the cheap part of buying air excavation equipment...so plan accordingly.
 
ATH said:
Do you have good options for compressor rental?

I bought a compressor pretty quickly after buying the AirKnife.

It is great for even small jobs...even a single tree that has been over-mulched for 10 years. But small jobs are really hard to price approximately when you have to rent. Not just that you need to pay at least a half day (if not full) day rental cost for a couple hours max ..but spending a couple more hours going back and forth to pick it up and drop it off before the half day passes.

All that to say the $2500 for tool and hoses is the cheap part of buying air excavation equipment...so plan accordingly.
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The cost of the rental is what it is until I can buy the compressor. I understand it will cost me some small jobs early on, but like I said, it is what it is.
 
Was going to post a new thread and then found this which seems like an appropriate thread for the topic.

At a certain point on big mature trees, does removing already established girdling roots have little to no effect or can it even be achieved without over pruning and potentially causing more additional harm?

Had a client reach out, they have some maples I believe that they planted about twenty years or so ago, and they’re looking for opinions because they get a lot of dead branches dropping and they had someone else come out who said it looks like there are roots choking the tree. Will post pics once I look at it if there is anything actually there.
 
A balancing act between impact and benefit.

Multiple years of treatment May be appropriate.

Start manual soil removal a ways out from the trunk and work inward. Carefully push a blunt shovel into soil feeling for resistance then carefully lever the soil with the handle.




Useful tools...
A trowel, gardening 1-hand cultivator fork, blower, garden hose if there's a slope, wood chisels, sawsall, tarps/ buckets/ wheelbarrows for soil.
 
If you don't remove the girdling roots on a declining tree, what happens? It dies, right?

If you do...well it may die, or hopefully it will do better.

The things I watch for/points of discussion with client.
Is it realistic to expect recovery? That's a professional judgement call. I don't think there is enough data (that I have seen) in studies to really document with confidence. We cannot promise one way or the other.

Need to watch for introduction of decay fungi into the base of the tree. Obviously, once you make cuts, you are opening wounds for those to enter. Something you'll need to monitor over time.
 
ATH said:
If you don't remove the girdling roots on a declining tree, what happens? It dies, right?

If you do...well it may die, or hopefully it will do better.

The things I watch for/points of discussion with client.
Is it realistic to expect recovery? That's a professional judgement call. I don't think there is enough data (that I have seen) in studies to really document with confidence. We cannot promise one way or the other.

Need to watch for introduction of decay fungi into the base of the tree. Obviously, once you make cuts, you are opening wounds for those to enter. Something you'll need to monitor over time.
Click to expand...
This is a great perspective, I’ve had some jaw dropping results and some that have been ‘meh’. I don’t think I’ve ever had a follow-up and thought well daum that speed decline and pushed the tree over the edge.
I’ve also had a good number where after poking around a bit I knocked on the door and just packed up. The trees were so bad there was absolutely no hope
 
I lazy way did a couple of mid-young maples once that were still growing vigorously. The girdle was visible above the dirt on the root flare. I hand sawed the girdling root at it's contact point but left the cut portions totally undisturbed. Just one year later the flare had sprung the severed ends upward! Clearly there had been contact pressure/impingement. There was maybe 1/5 root diameter indentation so it wasn't heavily progressed. I think when the girdle is a huge support root you've got to think twice about cutting it.

Part of the lazy m.o. was to not disturb the fine rootlets directly around the trunk. Ie the root soak zone.
 
Bart_ said:
I lazy way did a couple of mid-young maples once that were still growing vigorously. The girdle was visible above the dirt on the root flare. I hand sawed the girdling root at it's contact point but left the cut portions totally undisturbed. Just one year later the flare had sprung the severed ends upward! Clearly there had been contact pressure/impingement. There was maybe 1/5 root diameter indentation so it wasn't heavily progressed. I think when the girdle is a huge support root you've got to think twice about cutting it.

Part of the lazy m.o. was to not disturb the fine rootlets directly around the trunk. Ie the root soak zone.
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I do this whenever the opportunity presents. At the last chapter conference I attended I never felt so much pride for my peers. The hotel had all excess mulch pulled from the flairs and even girdling roots gorilla pruned, and no it wasn’t a demo or part of a class, just a pack of no fucks given arborists doin what’s right
 
Normal passenger in a car when driving down the road: “LOL at this reel on instagram.”

Arborists: “That mulch is too high”, “I could get a good TIP in that tree to prune it”, “who the f*ck did that to that tree”.
 
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southsoundtree said:
Useful tools...
A trowel, gardening 1-hand cultivator fork, blower, garden hose if there's a slope, wood chisels, sawsall, tarps/ buckets/ wheelbarrows for soil.
Click to expand...

Granted I'm just guessing here, as I haven't root pruned, but I'd guess an oscillating multi tool would work well and might be better about not cutting into other roots behind the target cut.
 
You can use narrower and narrower chisels.

IME there can be a mega-compacted 'mudstone' between root bark and trunk bark.


Do oscillating tools have narrow tips?
Anything vibrate-y, I recommend anti- vibe gloves. If practical.
 
Oscillating tool is great.

My one and only YouTube video, I showed using an air chisel on some big ugly SGR. @climbingmonkey24 the pics are there. If you'd rather let me know and I'll try to find them in a folder and post here.

 
For some reason the daum before photo of the Katsura isn’t loading. and then nitty gritty. Wouldn’t call it a mature tree thought
 

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southsoundtree said:
You can use narrower and narrower chisels.

IME there can be a mega-compacted 'mudstone' between root bark and trunk bark.


Do oscillating tools have narrow tips?
Anything vibrate-y, I recommend anti- vibe gloves. If practical.
Click to expand...
Oscillating multi tool is my go to for girdling roots. As for narrower tips you can always cut/grind the cutter to meet your needs.
 
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