Question
We own a house which we purchased in 2002, and was built in 1996. There are 3 large (over 20') trees on the north side of the house which a local nursery tells me are "a cousin of the poplar tree". They are growing tall, and relatively narrow, to the top. My neighbor is concerned about the root system, thinking that it might affect his house's foundation, pipes, etc. Some growth seems to appear on his side of the wall from the roots of the trees, and he just pulls them out.

Is there a concern about the safety of the houses, meaning foundation, etc.? Please advise a.s.a.p., and also tell me where I can submit a sample of the trees to determine exactly its identity.

Thank you, Renate Burch

Answer
You should be able to attach pictures to the bottom of the question. If you have problems send pictures of the trunk, close up of the leaves and an overall picture to [email protected] and put ALLexpert question in the subject line so the spam filter will let it through. Root problems vary by species and it will be important to ID the tree before answering this question.