Sometimes it can be necessary to ascertain the exact location of significant tree roots, such as when installing infrastructure in the vicinity of trees. The severance of any roots over 2.5 cm in diameter should be avoided if possible, and particularly so if the roots are within a distance of 15 x stem diameter from the tree.
Knowing exactly where significant roots are located can help inform the design and location of infrastructure, avoiding significant root severance. This information can also be fed into, or form a part of, the Arboricultural element of the design process and related Planning applications.
The following techniques cause either zero or minimal root damage, respectively:
- Root Radar
Root Radar uses ground penetrating radar to identify the location of significant roots. It can be used to create a map of the significant roots in a completely non-invasive manner.
Treecosystems can arrange Root Radar investigations for our clients.
- Careful excavation using an Airspade
Targeted investigation of specific areas of interest can be undertaken by carefully excavating with an Airspade. This causes localised fine root damage but does not damage woody roots when undertaken proficiently.
Treecosystems have a lot of experience of undertaking this work and are well placed to assess what would be an acceptable level of investigation (and hence fine root damage) for any tree in question.