QuestionI live it a condo complex, which has River Birch's between each set of condo. These Birch Tree were planted about 10 year ago and were about 8 to 10' high than. Now they are over 20' high and now the roots are spreading out, some above ground. These Trees were planted to close the the Building in the first place. My question is can these above ground roots be cut and removed or will it harm these trees? Because of the closeness to the building will the life of these trees shorter?
AnswerThis being a river birch, there should not be a problem with the roots. You should not have a problem with root damage from a river birch--their root system is fibrous and I could find no one who has sited root problems with this species. As the tree grows the limbs may rub against your house causing problems but this can be solved by pruning back the limbs. This all depends on how close the tree is to the house. The surface roots should not be cut this will damage the trees. Instead add sand over the roots--do not add more than 2 inches on top of the roots and use only sand--clay soils are too heavy and will damage the roots.
River birch is a common tree near buildings and the closeness does not shorten the life span. Trees in an urban situation will have a shorter life span than in the wild but this is not a real problem.
