Our 10-year-old, 30' tulip poplar tree was about 16 feet away until we added on to the back of our house. Now it's only about 6 feet away. It's beautiful and provides great shade where it is really needed. We don't want to cut it down if it poses no threat to our foundation.
How close may a tulip poplar be to a house and still avoid root damage to the slab foundation?
Most residential warranty companies use the canopy of the full-grown tree as the minimum distance from the home. For example, if a Oak tree has a canopy of 40 feet diameter when it is fully grown, then the trunk of the tree is to be a minimum of 20 feet away. That is a typical example.
If you are fond of your tree, then consider getting bid for installing a "root sheild." As such a trench will be dug about 6 feet down and around 20 feet long near the exposed part of the house. Concrete will be placed in the trench along with steel reinforcing.
The only problem with that is that often the roots that are removed for the trench will wind up killing the tree anyway.
Sorry, but this will not be an easy decision. Were it mine to make, the tree would probably go.
Reply:Depending on the soil composition, construction may have caused serious damage to the tree's root system - tulip trees have big squishy, fleshy roots which are easily damaged.
You might not see any damage to the house, but that tree is only going to get bigger. Unless the tree is a fastigiate form [I will assume it isn't given that you say it gives great shading], roots won't be the only issue - the branches alone can get out beyond that six feet and cause damage of their own.
In my experience, having substantial trees that close to a building tends never to turn out well unless their growth is being artificially restrained using underground membranes or the like.
I would recommend having a chat with a local tree surgeon - he would be far better able to assess any potential trouble.
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