"Nick Maclaren" wrote in message
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In article ,
michael adams wrote:
"James" wrote in message
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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?

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.

That is the main problem, yes. If it is a sycamore, it is unlikely
to be harmed by a bit of root pruning :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.


All the references seems to agree that sycamore is a shallow rooting
tree. So presumably any roots severed to a depth of 6ft will be making
a real contribution to the stability of the tree.

With mature trees in species amenable to root pruning such as sycamore
the recommendation seems to be to prune no more than one quadrant in any
one year, to be followed by a two year gap. This being presumably for
the health of the tree rather than stability as such. But presumably
the same would apply.

The "wind test" of standing under the tree should perhaps be carried
out in summer with the tree in full leaf, as this would present
more wind resistance and act more as a sail. This would all depend
of course on the direction of any prevailing winds in the OP's
locality.

The concerns raised about digging pits, when fully researched, might
seem to put the Kybosh on all this in any case.


michael adams

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