The Impact of Tree Roots on Buildings: When to Take Action

Careful and sensitive ground management requires a balanced approach to building safety, and the health of trees and other natural structures. Whether you’re managing a large site or designing your own domestic garden, ensuring that trees don’t grow too close to buildings is an important part of protecting a building’s infrastructure.

There are several reasons for this.

Tree roots can cause significant damage to drainage networks and pipelines, as they penetrate pipes and cause blockages. On older buildings with shallow foundations, tree roots can also soak up moisture which causes clay soil in particular to shrink, affecting the foundations of a building.

And that’s without considering the impact that trees themselves have, shading a building and increasing the risk of damp, while also exposing the building to damage caused by branches and debris.

What Happens to Tree Roots Which Grow Too Close to Buildings?

If tree roots are allowed to grow too close to a building, the biggest risk is that posed to the drain networks and pipelines that run under the ground around the building.

Roots which penetrate and block these pipes can wreak havoc on water supply and waste removal pipelines, causing leaks and costly structural damage. If left untreated, these leaks can then have a detrimental effect on the foundational structure of the building itself, creating a knock-on effect that all starts with excessive root span and tree growth.

How to Mitigate the Risk of Damage Caused by Tree Roots

Sophisticated ground management means recognising the risk of a tree that’s growing too close to a building, before it creates an issue.

In many cases, homeowners and groundskeepers acknowledge the risk of the tree itself and will fell or remove it, before the branches and exterior structure can cause lasting damage to the building. However, in many cases, this overlooks the significant risk posed by the tree roots. Felling a tree that’s growing too close to a building is not enough. It only by investing in a combined stump grinding and tree removal Suffolk service that you can really safeguard the structural integrity of the building.

Do You Need Tree Management Support?

Believe it or not, there’s a lot more to tree management and health than meets the eye. Not only can a professional tree surgeon or specialist identify when a tree is growing too close to a property, but they can also spot disease and other health issues before they start to affect the strength of the tree.

When it comes to balancing tree growth with building management and maintenance, the options include felling and stump removal, relocating the tree, or monitoring the growth and combining management with crown reduction services.

For more advice on how to manage the trees around your property or building, Elite Tree in Suffolk offers a comprehensive and accessible range of services to suit all needs.

Written by

Paul Thomas