Very good question!!!!!!

YES!!!!!!!

Most of you non-woody roots are in the upper 4 inches of soil most of the time. many woody roots can be in upper 9".

#1 See - Troubles in the Rhizosphere for starters
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/shigo/RHIZO.html

#2 See Roots:
http://www.treedictionary.com/DICT2003/R/roots.html


--
Sincerely,
John A. Keslick, Jr.
Consulting Forester & Tree Expert
http://home.ccil.org/~treeman
and www.treedictionary.com
Beware of so-called tree experts who do not understand tree biology.
Storms, fires, floods, earthquakes, and volcanic eruptions keep reminding us that we are not the boss.



See Troubles in the Rhizo
wrote in message ...
Hi everyone - I am planning on putting in a brick patio in my backyard
and would like to put it next to a large pine tree (50 feet tall). My
question is this - wince I need to dig down 6 - 8 inches to lay the
foundational aggregate and the resulting brick patio literally right
next to the tree, will I cause any permanent damage to the tree (or
even kill it), by removing any roots within those 6 - 8"?

Thanks!