How to deal with this ?

[ritagoldman101]

How to deal with this ?

My aunt ( a very old person) has a house in California...

She has had the home over 18 years now.

There are 2 trees whose roots are lifting the concrete pretty high.

She has been told that she needs to get rid of the trees and that there is a "special something" that needs to be applied on the cut trunk ...or something...

Would anyone know what needs to be applied to the cut trunk to permanently kill the trees?

Can anyone suggest a better way to get rid of these 2 trees ?

What do people normally do when the roots of a tree lift the concrete ? How does one rectify such a

Thank you all in advance for your input, Rita

[Travis]

What concrete is being lifted?

[Don Phillipson]

Essential information is omitted here. Chemicals can be used either to suppress sprouting from the cutoff trunk or to accelerate decay of the roots (which takes years).

"Removal" means cutting down the tree, recutting the trunk at ground level, and removal of debris. This is expensive. The main alternative is to for the householder to do the job himself.

They usually remove the tree, as recommended to this householder.

[Warren]

Or remove the concrete.

[Treedweller]

AMEN!

Studies (municipal) of sidewalk lifting have demonstrated that just as many problems exist without trees being present as with. If the concrete is installed correctly, there will be no tree-root problems. If there are problems, removing the tree will not make them disappear magically. Remove the slab and, if necessary, replace it using a contractor who understands concepts such as reinforcement and soil movement (and be aware that if the new slab installation cuts major roots within a few feet of the trunk the tree will likely become unstable). Better yet, replace it with a raised deck or other non-invasive (to the roots) solution.

k

[Warren]

True. But I was thinking on an even more basic level: Is there any need for the concrete to be there in the first place?

Rerouting a walkway may be a solution. As could removing an underused section of driveway. Or relocating a patio. Why is the concrete there in the first place???

Not only might it be easier to remove a slab of concrete than it is to remove a mature tree, it may make more sense, too. The answer isn't necessarily an ax. It could be a sledge hammer and pry bar.

That's even easier than rebuilding a concrete structure that doesn't need to be there in the first place, and anyone who can swing a sledgehammer can do it.