House was built in Colorado in 1978 – tree is fairly large. Bought the house about a year ago and didn't think of it at the time.
I don't see any foundation issues but I'm not qualified to look either. Can't see any signs of issues from the basement but also dont know what to look for
I've seen similar posts, so thought I'd ask the same question for my scenario – should I remove this tree for the safety of the home? Is it too late? Needs more info?
Thanks all!
by booleys1012
4 Comments
If you’re not having issues then there no reason to remove the tree. Trees don’t damage foundations directly. If you were seeing cracks and/or experiencing differential settling than it may be prudent. If not keep calm and carry on.
The general rule of thumb is you’ll find a tree’s roots as far out as 2-3x the width of the canopy so with this guy being so close to your house and being as mature as it is, if you have roots impacting your foundation it was a problem before you bought the house. The most common tree-care solution I’ve seen for this is to use an air compressor to dig a trench between the tree and your house, clean cut any roots impacting your foundation and install a root barrier to protect your house from future roots. NOW, the other rule of thumb is that most tree roots (structural and fibrous) will be found within the top 12” of soil but roots can and will grow deeper than that in search of quality soil + nutrients/water so keep that in mind when installing a root barrier about 6”-8” deep.
I’m an arborist in Colorado, (front range). Our trees actually pull a lot of water off the foundation. Which is a good thing. I’ve not needed to remove a tree because it was confirmed in damaging a foundation. However I have had clients whose basement stated to flood because they removed all the trees from around the home.
A large pine tree like that can transpire hundreds of gallons of water on a summer day.
“Is this tree too close to the house” is the 9^rd most common question on the tree subs.