Homeowners beware of the tree

Many homeowners with foliage-filled gardens are blissfully unaware of the damage tree and plant roots can cause if planted too close to their property.

When buying a house, or planting a tree, it is important to consider the proximity of trees to the property and any outbuildings. This is especially true of species such as willow and poplar. These have a larger requirement for water than other trees, and are therefore more likely to cause problems as a result of ground shrinkage through water extraction, especially in dry weather and in shrinkable soils such as clay.

The likely range of a mature broad-leaved tree’s root system may often equate to twice the ultimate height of the tree. The maximum recorded spread of a willow for example is 40metres, although according to the Subsidence Claims Advisory Bureau, it should be safe to plant a willow no closer than 18metres away. They also suggest the following minimum distances for other trees:

Cypress 3.5m
Birch 4m
Apple/Pear 5m
Cherry/ Plum/ Peach 6m
Hawthorn/Rowan/Plane 7m
Lime 8m
Beech 9m
Ash 10m
Horse Chestnut 10m
Elm/Maple/Sycamore 12m
Oak/Willow 18m
Poplar 20m

The affect on neighbouring property must also be taken into consideration as there have been cases where arboreal DNA testing has been used to determine which actual plant has caused damage on the other side of a boundary!