Trees benefit a landscape and add to the value of a property, but they come with their problems. Roots can damage infrastructure and unfortunately there is no great solution to prevent these roots from doing so. They will find water and spread in order to do so while also breaching the ground surface. This can cause unsightly pavement and tripping hazards. So what should you do in order to stop this from happening?
Tree Roots Pushing Up Pavers
Tree roots will cause pavers to lift up and there is unfortunately nothing that can be done to prevent this. Can you lift the pavers and cut the roots? Sure, but you could be negatively affecting the health of the tree which could cause more problems than this solves. The root could also grow back in the future. No amount of geotextile or proper base preparation will prevent the roots from growing and heaving your pavers. However, there are ways that you can work around the tree or mitigate the risk of this problem occurring in the future.
This begins in the design process. You should work with a designer that knows the future tree growth and designs a space that accounts for this growth and possible future problems. Ensuring that you lay your paver project away from the canopy of the tree will help prevent those thicker roots from growing towards your pavers and lifting them.
If it remains a concern, you can lay paver base panels underneath your pavers. These will not prevent heaving, but they will spread that load out over a wider area so that a larger group of pavers will be lifted rather than a small group which would cause a tripping hazard. With the pressure of the roots being placed on these panels, there will be a wider area of that pavement that is working against the pressure of the root growth and therefore cause a wider area of pavement being heaved in a less significant way.
You can also choose to install natural stone which will look more…well natural. That way when they do get lifted by the tree roots, it will match the landscape rather than having modern looking pavers that are being heaved by the tree roots and looking out of place. Work with the existing landscape rather than against it.
You can also choose trees that have deeper roots rather than shallow to have installed in the first place or have the original tree replaced. That way you can place the tree in the most desirable location while not having the problem of those pavers being negatively affected by its future growth.
NEVER lay a garden wall around a tree that will have shallow thick roots. Often times people will have a circular wall built around a tree to dress up the area. Unfortunately, this is a waste of money. Eventually those tree roots will grow and cause that wall to fail. This will especially look unsightly and out of place. Not to mention, there likely needs to be damage to the tree roots to prepare a proper base for that wall and embedment of that wall in the first place to install it.
Call an Arborist
Have an arborist come out to take a look at the issue that you are having. Ask them for advice on roots and see whether or not they are crucial to the tree’s health. They are the experts and you can get their insight on what roots can be cut and what should not. They will also be able to let you know the future growth of that tree and where the roots will continue to grow causing possible future problems.