Ross, can ya use photobucket or the like to post images? It would really help. Also put their name up here. Gardenweb has amazingly high relevancy on google.

Do you have a relationship with the roofers or have ya thought about calling them and telling them if your tree does not look right by next year you want them to buy you a new pretty decent sized one and have it olanted?

Hi Toronado, thanks for you reply. If I upload the photos to photobucket, how do I get then onto this forum? I don't have a personal relationship with the roofer and after this situation, I don't think I will have any relationship with him. I made them include in the contract that they would be very careful around the landscaping with special consideration regarding the Japanese maple. They were not careful at all, and each time they came they did more damage.

REVIEW THE LINK

after you upload.. point at the pic .. and COPY the HTML..

PASTE it right here where you type..

when you hit preview message.. if the pic shows.. we will see in ..

NOT THE IMG CODE!!!!

KEN

Here is a link that might be useful: how to post pix

Speaking of roofing jobs: a couple of years ago, we had to have our hail-damaged roof replaced. We had just had some new landscaping put in and lots of annuals and perennials. We automatically figured that some plants would be collateral damage, right?

So, we learned that there are roofers and then there are ROOF INSTALLATION SPECIALISTS, lol. Even with all of the workers, the ladders, etc., not one single leaf of one little plant was damaged. And not only that, but they cleaned up every speck of debris, every nail, and cleaned the gutters.

My moral of this story is that you shouldn't have to accept that kind of careless work.

And better yet figure out the value of the maple and take that out of the % you own them yet. If you paid in full already without inspecting everything you might be out of luck.

Eitherway for us and the roofer you'll need pics.

Here are some photos of the damage. The first set shows damage to the japanese Maple tree, including a before and after photos of the tree. THe 1st photo is the tree 2 year ago & the 6th photo is the tree today, after the damage. I also included a second set of photos of damage to another tree,at the hands of the roofing company, a beautiful 20 year old Crabapple tree.

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The next photos are of a damages to a crabapple tree.
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The tree will be OK...just cut off the broken branches at the T intersection or at the main stem.

boy.. pix are sure different than the mental pic i had ...

just properly prune out the broken stuff..

by fall.. you wont see a difference... since there was no insult to the root system ..

it may not look exactly as it did before.. but that is not really a problem ... it is a tree known for its architectural weirdness ...

lets just say your roofer added to its charm .. lol ...

ken

I had a full roof replacement last summer with a large Japanese Maple not three feet from the only place available to park the dumpster. The contractors built a plywood cage around/over my tree so that not even one leaf was touched. I also had new beds everywhere with tiny new annuals, and not even one was stepped on.

Of course I had discussed my concerns with the owner before signing the contract and made sure reference to plant protection was in the contract.

On the morning of the first day I met the crew with bagels and coffee and said "OK, everything you see here is of value to me. I know mistakes happen, but I am begging you to mind your feet and minimize collateral damage. To you it is just a tree- you break it, say "oops" and that's the end of it. For me the damage will have much more of an impact. You can call me crazy or obsessive and I won't care- just don't break my stuff!"

I cannot recommend my guys highly enough- at the end of a huge job (total tear down and metal roofing installed) I saw them on their hands and knees combing through my beds looking for debris or dropped screws. After the fact we may have found 2 or 3 screws and that's it- no other damage whatsoever.

Long winded way of saying anticipate these things, discuss them with those who have the power to affect their methods and speak directly to the crew.

cearbhaill, thanks for your comments. I did all of those things that you mentioned, including meeting with the job foreman before they started the job and handing him a very concise list of the most important do's and don'ts relating to protecting the landscaping and other things. But, it didn't make a difference. They agreed to everything, but then proceeded destroy everything in there path.

That's why we wait until the job is done to write the last check- I'd have gotten a discount for that.
Not that the damage is horrible or that things won't recover- it's the disregard for my property I find appalling nowadays.
People think plants are just plants but gardeners know that there are pricey hybrids and rare things gifted by cherished friends and that my gardens are a financial investment that I expect to be respected, never mind the years of labor.

Just like the dad I had a talk with after a basketball bounced through my beds followed by three pairs of feet chasing it- those are $55 dollar rosebushes and I have the receipts to prove it.

Get off my lawn!!!

I'm laughing on the outside but I am serious, too.
Gettin' cranky in my old age!

I would definitely be expecting some sort of compensation from the contractor who did this damage. He was warned ahead of time....However, I personally would have protected the tree in question. I'm not going to rely on a bunch of construction guys (or gals) to tip toe around my trees. Just as you move your cars and anything else out of the way that you don't want to be at risk, I think something have been erected to protect the tree.

Still, the contractor should compensate you for the damage to the tree. No different than if he had scratched your car....

man you guys are hardcore..

if i happened to walk past with my felcos and pruning saw.. i could fix that in about 3 minutes ... and once it leafed out.. you would never know it was pruned ...

and the odds of the tree failing for that damage is one in 6 trillion ...

total damage.. 3 minutes of my time.. or 52 cents ... [yeah.. i am cheap ]

now if you want to whine about the betrayal .. the horror.. etc.. all the power to you ..

but proper pruning of that tree is minimal .. of no concern.. and of little or no value ....

let me put it to you this way.. the $500 retainer for the attorney.. isnt worth it ...

ken