I love a summer cameo from my favourite landscaping guru, Carson Arthur of Green Force. Though Glen Peloso is still our guy for Design Dilemmas, Carson has graciously answered an Outdoor Dilemma for one Theresa M., who sent in a question about her new, gorgeous lakefront lot.
From Theresa M.: "Dear Carson,
My daughter has suggested I get in touch with you for some advice. My
husband and I have just purchased a lot about 2 hours southwest of
Ottawa. It is a SE sloped lot and I would like to grade it without doing
too much damage to the existing trees. I would like to put in an
earth-sheltered home eventually.
Theresa M.
"
Carson suggests: What an amazing lot. I agree that preserving the trees is very important. There is a bit of a reality check here however...The biggest issue isn’t what’s happening above the ground...its what’s going on below the soil. We now know that trees grow like icebergs...with the vast majority occurring below the soil. The compaction (soil impact) of any construction is really going to cause a lot of stress on your trees.
Basically, you have 2 options:
- The first is a slow process of re-grading the soil over a couple of years by raising the soil level no more then 3-4” per year.
- The second is to do the construction and try to repair the damage afterward by doing something called ‘trenching’. Trenching is a great way to re-introduce nutrient rich materials in to the soil so that tree ‘rebounds’ from the stress of the work going on around it. To trench a tree, dig 5 1’ x 2’ holes around the outside of the drip line of the tree (the outside edge of the branches). Fill the trench with your organic household waste and then bury with soil. As the debris breaks down, the tree gets a healthy dose of nitrogen and natural fertilizers.
Good luck!
Carson
Carson Arthur Designs
Have you ever 'trenched' a tree before? Do tell!
Related: