TIL why you should never skip the root flare exam on a mature oak

I had a 60-foot red oak come down last spring during a storm, and when I checked the stump, the buttress roots were completely girdled from a tree ring I missed 8 years ago. Learned the hard way that even a small ring can choke out the whole root system over time if it's buried too deep. Anyone else had a tree fail from a seemingly minor planting mistake?

2 comments

2 Comments

andrew_nguyen6418h ago

I mean, I get where you're coming from but I don't think the tree ring is always the main culprit here. A lot of times with older oaks, the real issue is just how they were planted in the first place, like being too deep or having compacted soil from construction. People blame the ring because it's a visible thing to point at, but those roots were probably already struggling for years before you added that ring. Not saying it didn't help kill the tree, just that it's usually a combination of factors, not one little plastic ring choking it out.

rileyl6710h ago

Hold on, oaks actually tolerate deeper planting better than most trees, so it is usually the ring.