New lot owner

20 years ago

Hi all! This is my first post although I've been reading GW for quite a while and have really learned a lot from all of you.

I've lived in St. Bernard Parish, right outside of New Orleans since I was little but have relocated temporarily since Hurricane Katrina. I enjoyed gardening on a 70 x 70 foot, mostly sunny, suburban lot.

I have purchased a 3/4 acre lot in Picayune, Mississippi and they have just started building my new house (high ground but still impacted by storm winds). The back half of my lot is wooded (about 125 x 125 feet) with another wooded lot behind mine.

I'm hoping you can offer suggestion on what to do with my woods. I have a tree service coming this saturday to clean up some of the debris in the woods. We have agreed they will cut down 4 tall pines, remove a few fallen trees, trim hangers, and remove quite a few chinese tallow trees. I asked that they keep a natural setting.

Some of my concerns are:

1) I have a water oak tree that is probably around 70 feet tall that will be only 30 feet from the back of my house. I'm worried it could fall on my house if there is another storm. Should I have it taken out?

2) There is a 3 foot drop from the house to the tree that the builder will fill with sand, tapering down to nothing at the tree. Will that kill the tree? If I have it taken out I guess this one is solved.

3) About 30 feet into the woods the land drops another 1-1/2 feet or so. Some of the tree roots are exposed by about a foot. It looks like some of the land may have washed away with rain from the storm. Should I try to fill some of that in? Maybe bring in 1 or 2 truckloads of sand and spread throughout the low spots in the woods (only 4 inches or less per year)? That's probably all I could handle at a time since I'll be doing the work myself.

I know this is a lot of information and questions but hopefully someone can help with some of my questions. I really enjoy walking through the woods right now even though I have to drive 1/2 hour to get to the lot. At least I have land I can walk on besides my flooded out house and yard in St. Bernard or the FEMA trailer park I am staying in temporarily.

Thank you for reading and any help you can give.

Mummz

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (3)

bob64
20 years ago
I would discuss the oak with your arborist and your insurance carrier. The arborist will have some clue how healthy the tree is and the insurance carrier will tell you if you are covered in the event the tree hits the house. Your personal comfort level is also a major factor. I would hate to see a grand old tree go but I would hate to see the tree hit your house even more.

The rest of your questions are way beyond my ability to answer. Best of luck to you!
mummz
Original Author
20 years ago
Thanks for your response Bob. I didn't think of checking with my insurance carrier. When the tree service owner came out to give me a price he thought the tree would be far enough away from the house. Once it's trimmed I might feel better about leaving it. I really don't want to get rid of an oak tree. As it is the woods will be thinned out when they remove the tallows but they have to go before they spread any more. I'll have to discuss the fill questions with them tomorrow.
Related Professionals
Sebring Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Vincennes Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Topeka Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Aiken Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Chattanooga Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Milwaukee Landscape Architects & Landscape Designers · Bartlesville Landscape Contractors · Springfield Landscape Contractors · Grand Rapids Landscape Contractors · Cornwall Landscape Contractors · Alexandria Architects & Building Designers · Dallas Architects & Building Designers · Kingman Architects & Building Designers · Honolulu Architects & Building Designers · Amherstburg Architects & Building Designers
ladyslppr
20 years ago
I do not think that placing sand as you described will kill the Water Oak. You will be filling only on one side of the tree, and most trees that are adapted to riparian or riverside conditions are fairly tolerant if filling.

I also think that placing some soil in the woods as you describe should be OK. I think most trees can tolerate a few inches of fill per year, especially if you are merely replacing soil that has recently been eroded.