Question
Jim,
I just moved in a house on my lot and with the new landscaping the two 10' pine trees are now sitting in a hole about 18" deep because the level of the yard has been raised. When i landscape the yard, the lower branches will be under ground.  can i cut these branches off without harming the trees?  do i have to get a tree spade to lift the trees that 18" and replant?  will the tree spade do more damage to the root system then leaving the trees at the depth they are currently at?
thanks, Rod

Answer
I would recommend starting over with a new pine tree planting. If the pines were filled around they would die and tree spades work better on hardwood type trees and the chance of pines this large not living would be high. Since you will be digging a new hole anyway I would use a new tree. The usual fill depth around trees is not more than 4 inches of soil so the 18 inches will kill the roots and the trees.