"James" wrote in message
...
Hi

I have a mature tree at the bottom of my new garden. I think it's a
sycamore
(will have a better idea when the leaves grow) and it is easily over 40
feet
high.

I plan to build a garage/workshop on the land under the tree and this is
to
include a service well, ie a sunken walkway in the floor of the garage, so
I
can walk under a parked car to service it, rather than have to elevate the
car on ramps etc.

The pit will be about 6 feet deep and 3 feet wide and I wonder if digging
it
will affect the tree.

I'm looking for information on the size, depth and spread of tree roots,
so
I can gauge the likely impact of digging the foundations of the workshop
and
the service well.

Can anyone point me to a site with this info, or do you know how deep a
sycamore sinks it's roots, and how far from the trunk they extend?

Regards
James



The recieved\anecdotal wisdom, is that a tree's roots, regardless
of species, can reach as far outwards as the spread of the
branches.

The degree to which any of these horizontal roots serve to anchor
the tree, will need to taken into account. The size of the actual
boughs on the tree, the amount of leverage they are likely to
impart on the trunk of the tree in high winds etc may
be related to the spread of the roots. And so it might be
unwise to disturb that balance.

The thing you need to bear in mind is that by severing any roots
on your side of the boundary you will be increasing the, theoretical
anyway, likelihood of the tree toppling into an adjacent property
and thus causing damage. More especially if the tree is heavily
laden with boughs on that side

Before going ahead, stand under the tree on a windy day and try
and estimate the likely effect might be, of severing any anchoring
roots.



michael adams

....