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<br />i6885 l':ewnting Constnlclion Damage to Trees <br /> <br />5il 5/11:\ 6:54 l'~ <br /> <br />Make dean cuts <br /> <br />Clean cuts to roots seal off quickly and help prevent entry of disease-causing organisms. Ragged, rough wounds irom dull or <br />improper equipment allow decay to progress to the rest of the tree. Sharply cut ends promote a flush of new roots, helping the <br />tree recover from injury, Bulldozers tend to tear roots apart, leaving wOl.mds that will not seal readily. Trenchers and backhoes <br />make cleaner cuts through the soil. When cutting roots larger than 2 inches in diameter, use a pruning saw to make a smooth <br />cut. <br /> <br />Do not automatically prune the top of a tree that has been root pruned. As long as moisture is not limiting leaves in the (.~rO\vn <br />ofthe tree manufacture food to help roots grow and recover from being cut. Prune out only weak or dead branches. <br /> <br />Tunnel rather than trench <br /> <br />Trenching near a tree kills a large portion of the tree(s roots, Tunneling under the tree does virtually no damage. Since most <br />roots live in the top 18 inches of soil, a tunnel 2 feet deep often does little damage. However, placing the tunnel 3 to 4 feet <br />deep is safer. <br /> <br />It is best to tunnel at least 1 to 2 feet away from the tree's center to avoid a tap root (see Figure 3). For trees under 6 inches in <br />diameter at breast height, trenching should come no closer than the dripline of the tree. See Table 1 for larger trees. <br /> <br /> <br /> <br />:.,., , ., .,' ,~ <br /> <br />. .",'..... . . . . . . .. .i'llIl .' .' <br />'. ;:- ~:'. ~'Ii ':\ .:..:_.: .','~:"~ " :' :,. ~:. ~.: \'~::. :', ' <br /> <br />Figure 3. Trenching near a tree can kill almost half its roots. A tunnel in the same place will do <br />virtually no damage to the tree. <br /> <br />Table 1. Minimum distance to trench trees. (Adapted from Municipal Foresters of Northeastern lllinois <br />g'!!4~!!~~J._,._,__..._..__... "..".__.".__.'" ........'....., ........-. ..........---..., <br /> <br />1[I;~~;;r~L~~~~:~~ <br /> <br />I[~:~~_~_~. ~~~ .....,Jl '. ._.__._ .___ ~p~.ne ~!'!:~.l <br />/16 to 9 inches II 5 feet from ~ <br /> <br />1...--.........-:;;. . .-.....-...... .__.n..__........;;,::;.:::;.___..._.".. _. ....._........__......1 <br /> <br />l~~~i~~~~.~_. ...j[.. n . ..l,,~~~~t~o~.~j <br />I~~.!~.~~..~~~~~~.._. ....J[ 12 ~~et.~~~.~J <br />!I.~~r~_~ I? ~~hes-'JL.._. . ___'u I? ~ee.!_~~_~j <br /> <br />Prevent soil compaction <br /> <br />hI tp: 11m uextco sion. m inouri .cduJ cxpl orefaggu! deslhort! g06 88Shtm <br /> <br />Page 4 0 <br />