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Root & infrastructure investigations
Something has cracked, blocked or lifted, and a tree is being blamed. Before anyone removes it, it is worth establishing whether the tree is actually the cause.
Fixed quote within one business day · agreed in writing before any work starts
The assumption that costs people their tree
A blocked sewer with a tree nearby gets attributed to the tree almost automatically. Sometimes that is right. Often the pipe was already failing and roots got into a joint that had opened up on its own, in which case taking the tree out leaves the blockage exactly where it was.
The same thing happens with cracked slabs, lifted paving and leaning retaining walls. A plumber's camera showing roots in a pipe does not tell you which tree they came from, and it does not tell you whether the pipe had already failed and let them in.
How the investigation works
- Non destructive excavation to expose roots without severing them
- Root size, depth, orientation and species identification where practical
- Assessment of the affected structure and its likely failure mode
- A view on causation, stated with the confidence the evidence supports
- The options open to you: pruning roots back to a written specification, installing a root barrier, repairing the structure, or removing the tree where that really is the answer
- Implications for the tree's stability if roots are severed, which is the part usually left out
Cutting roots has consequences
Severing structural roots inside the Structural Root Zone can destabilise a tree without visibly harming it, and the consequence may not show up until the next storm. If someone has proposed cutting roots to fix a pipe, that trade off needs to be assessed and written down before it happens, not after.
Insurance and disputes
These investigations usually exist because someone is about to be asked to pay for something. I write them on the assumption that an insurer or a lawyer will read them, so the method is set out, the evidence is photographed on the day, and I do not draw a conclusion the excavation will not support.
Common questions
Can you tell which tree the roots came from?
Sometimes, by species identification of the root material and by tracing. Where several trees of the same species are in range, honest reporting says so rather than picking one.
Do you dig up my garden?
Where it is practical I use air or water excavation, which blows or washes the soil away and leaves the roots intact. It makes a mess of the mulch for a day and the soil goes back afterwards. It is nothing like digging a trench with a machine.
Will this stop my insurer blaming the tree?
It will give you evidence rather than an assertion. What an insurer does with it is their call, but a documented investigation is a much stronger position than an opinion.
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Written adviceSend me the plans and I will send you a number.
A fixed fee in writing within one business day, with the scope set out so you know what is included. If it turns out you do not need this report, I will tell you that instead.