My Mum has a E.cladocalyx nana (Dwarf Sugar Gum) in her yard. It's
thirty-two years old and a couple of its roots have grown up above
ground level by about six inches. They're very woody and quite close
(six to eight feet) to the trunk of the tree. As far as I can tell, only
two roots are involved, but each one surfaces in two places, so there
are four chunks that need to be cut away. This wouldn't be a problem,
only my Mum is nearly ninety and tottery on her feet. The roots are near
her back steps and really pose quite a danger to her as she's prone to
trip on uneven ground. The tree, of course, is a very beautiful one
which she'd rather not cut down.

My question is: can these roots be cut (chainsaw?) or would this harm
the tree significantly? Is removal of the tree the only solution?

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

"Trish Brown" wrote in message
...
My Mum has a E.cladocalyx nana (Dwarf Sugar Gum) in her yard. It's
thirty-two years old and a couple of its roots have grown up above ground
level by about six inches. They're very woody and quite close (six to
eight feet) to the trunk of the tree. As far as I can tell, only two roots
are involved, but each one surfaces in two places, so there are four
chunks that need to be cut away. This wouldn't be a problem, only my Mum
is nearly ninety and tottery on her feet. The roots are near her back
steps and really pose quite a danger to her as she's prone to trip on
uneven ground. The tree, of course, is a very beautiful one which she'd
rather not cut down.

My question is: can these roots be cut (chainsaw?) or would this harm the
tree significantly? Is removal of the tree the only solution?


I am no expert on trees but if it were mine I would be concerned about
killing the tree or making it so weak it would fall over later. How about
getting a qualified tree person (not just a young bloke with a chainsaw) to
look at it.

David

Thanks to both of you for the advice. I, too, went to the sites you
suggested, mulligrub, and the pictures of the DSGs don't look a *bit*
like Mum's tree, even though it came with a nursery tag on it promising
that's what it was! Now I have to discover what kind of tree it is (I
*hate* not knowing!). The Sugar Gums in the picture are shown with
smooth, ribbony bark, but Mum's tree is definitely a bloodwood type with
rough, fibrous stringy bark. Hmmmm... I wonder... ???

--
Trish Brown {|:-}

Newcastle, NSW, Australia

In article ,
Trish Brown wrote:

My Mum has a E.cladocalyx nana (Dwarf Sugar Gum) in her yard. It's
thirty-two years old and a couple of its roots have grown up above
ground level by about six inches. They're very woody and quite close
(six to eight feet) to the trunk of the tree. As far as I can tell, only
two roots are involved, but each one surfaces in two places, so there
are four chunks that need to be cut away. This wouldn't be a problem,
only my Mum is nearly ninety and tottery on her feet. The roots are near
her back steps and really pose quite a danger to her as she's prone to
trip on uneven ground. The tree, of course, is a very beautiful one
which she'd rather not cut down.

My question is: can these roots be cut (chainsaw?) or would this harm
the tree significantly? Is removal of the tree the only solution?

I would be concerned that damaging the roots might make them sprout!

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

http://chookiesbackyard.blogspot.com/