Cutting Conifer Roots?

Hi, new to the forum. Sorry to wade in with a question straight off!

I have a conifer in my garden, approx 20ft tall. I want to run a path round one side of the tree, however, the area running away from the trunk of the tree is sloped.

I want to cut in to the slope and level the ground. This will involve cutting back the roots on one side of the tree down to about six inches (decreasing as I move away from the tree). Any thoughts and feedback on whether this is an OK thing to do would be most appreciated.

Thanks in advance...

 

i wouild think you might well kill the tree, also render it unstable as thr roots are holding it uprite as well as providing moisture and nutrition, also consider the possibility that the tree roots are stabilising the soil in the slope

[ 09. April 2006, 08:39 AM: Message edited by: Lady Gardener ]

 

Thanks for your reply. The slope is not severe, therefore, the stabilising effect of the roots is negligable. I think I may have given the wrong impression, I'm not proposing to cut away a lot of root, just those at the surface level where the path needs to go.

 

yes i was going to ask you that, if it is only a case of a few roots you will probably be ok, but rather difficult to judge without seein it, there is always a slight risk in any case, if you could mulch round the tree and roots to retain moisture that mite help to balance out any damage

[ 09. April 2006, 09:53 AM: Message edited by: Lady Gardener ]

 

welcome the missing elf hope you get your tree sorted out rather you than me though it sounds a massive task good luck anne

 

Thanks, Anne. I'm currently nursing some weary bones after digging nine fence post holes today. My house is on an old river bed, therefore, the ground is riddled with flint rock. When I'd finished digging the holes I sifted the soil (rocks!) and ended up with more rocks than soil!

 

The only trouble with cutting some of the roots, you expose the tree to the possibility of desease, thus in the end killing the tree, is there no way you could divert the proposed path a few feet, or make a feature STEP over it?, only an idea.

 

I'm with Rosco on this one - cutting roots on the downward side of a tree, especially a conifer, which tends to be quite shallow rooted is a risk.

Instead of cutting into the slope and the trees roots, could you not raise the path - make it a bit of a feature above or below the tree.