The day I actually measured the root flare on a 60 year old oak

I was on a job in Austin last month removing a dead limb from a massive live oak. Out of curiosity I dug down to the actual root flare expecting it to be maybe 4 inches down. It was almost a foot and a half buried under soil and mulch from years of lawn care. That tree was basically suffocating for decades. I started wondering how many other trees in the neighborhood are slowly getting killed by nice landscaping. Has anyone else seen a ridiculous depth like that on a mature tree?

2 comments

2 Comments

cora40028d ago

The buried root flare thing hits different when you think about how it changes the whole tree's structure over time. That oak probably has roots growing up into the mulch layer instead of down deep, which makes it more likely to tip in a storm. I saw a similar thing on a pecan tree in my parents' backyard, the trunk was shaped like a soda bottle from all that soil piled up. Regular lawn guys just pile on more mulch every year without thinking. It's not just suffocation either, it creates a damp zone right at the base that rots the bark out. Good on you for checking, that tree might have had another 60 years if someone caught it sooner.

robinc6628d ago

Trunk shaped like a soda bottle" - guess that's what happens when trees wear skinny jeans too long.