I have seen tree roots go right through concrete walls so IMO plastic no problem I think planting trees next to public sidewalks is always an issue so maybe some other choice that you do not have to worry about . The fact is that under the sidwalk are many things maybe like gas lines , water electrical all that could be damgedd by tree roots why take the chance

The above is a rather uninformed opinion :-) Virtually every urban area in the US (and elsewhere) has a policy of street tree planting and in recent years, even more of a focus on this policy as a means to deter climate warming. And some of these urban planting sites are extremely restrictive. It's a matter of selecting the correct tree species for the location and site. Some trees are more inclined to produce surface roots that can damage or lift paved surfaces.

Root barriers can be very effective. That's why they produce such things as bamboo barrier, a heavy plastic material that will restrict the spread of aggressive running bamboo and successfully keep it contained. And bamboo can be far more aggressive and invasive than any tree roots!

btw, tree roots will not " go right through concrete walls " IF the walls are structurally sound. This is a routinely promoted tree root fallacy.

I did say to get the right tree for this purpose and BTW bamboo is not like a tree for roots and yes I have seen tree roots right through a concrete wall in a garden .

You're right, bamboo is not like a tree ... it's far worse. Golden bamboo has probably the most aggressive root system I've seen, and it is tough (we broke multiple shovels trying to dig bamboo roots ... can't say I've broken any shovels on tree roots.) We dropped a root barrier to protect our tree, stone wall, garden beds, and fieldstone foundation from the neighbor's bamboo. Our stone walls and foundation have no issues with tree roots, and we have plenty of trees. The barrier is effective where it is (We did have some issues with the bamboo getting too far linearly and starting to come around the ends of the barrier, and we also had an issue where dirt got piled against the barrier (it comes a couple inches above ground) and the bamboos hopped over through that bridging point. Neither of those would be issues posed by trees, though.)

I ahppen to have been a very educated gardener for longer than 50 yrs and I have broken many forks and spades on tree roots . We had bamboo in Vancouver nothing stopped it from invading other places including all kinds of fancy barriers they just go deeper than the barrier and come up somewhere else . Most cities have a list of approved trees that oyu can plant on a boulevard and those are what needs to be planted then the issues that arise are not the homeowners problem as they followed the rules . From the sounds of this post this is awhole neighbourhood projest so IMO they should get an actual urban planner involved too and go ahead only after all the ducks are in a row and honestly not crowd sourcing on a design forum

My trusted consultants, Leaf & Limb are local and their website is https://www.leaflimb.com

We have a landscape plan approved by the city UDO (Unified Development Ordinance) and we, as homeowners, are advocating that we take steps to comply and keep developer accountable to this plan. We have had missed opportunities so trying to correct and take responsibility (vs just pointing fingers). As the saying goes “The best time to plant a tree was 20 yrs ago, the second is today”.

I am the Chairperson for a newly established landscaping committee with our HOA, much of which remains declarant controlled, so we have an uphill battle, but have finally been voted into existence. Our goals incl soil health for all the benefits we know here, better balance between native/non-native, conservative use of chemical herbicide as we are also adjacent to a lake (!!!!), compliance w/ UDO (installation of required streetscape shade and screening vegetation), maintaince reasonable for the unskilled commercial groundskeepers available (SMH), etc, etc….

The trees specified for our streetscape are mostly Trident Maple and some larger along the perimeter, in larger spaces.

My arborist collaborators have explained the behavior of roots—like melted cheese, but opportunist. So will go to water, oxygen. They get a bad wrap for “busting pipes” but likely there was already damage.

We are curving a sidewalk to keep a mature tree (win). The community is triggered by damage to sidewalks, but value the benefits of the trees. Moving forward, Leaf & Limb suggested a proactive approach with the guards to gently guide the roots down.

I appreciate the information, I aim to make informed recommendations to our leadership, seek confirmation or second opinion from qualified group, improve our community, and be responsible with my fellow homeowners’ investment. We have a tremendous opportunity here!

Thank you!

I too use no chemical weed killers ever in my lot I do use some pwdered ferilizers but try most to use compost and natural ones the pots usully get the powdered stuff the rest of the garden the other . I have some huge trees in my yard one of which is varigated maple it provides an amazing amoun of shade so we keep it the good thing it its roots had a hill to grow down so we were lucky. My hubby htes the keys that sprout everywhere but easily pulled when tiny . I am happy you guys are going a nice route with future plans in place .So many HOA seem to just not care I live in Canada where we don't have as many HOA s as it seems to be in the US. THey are one reason I will never live in condo here either my home my choices period.

You start, middle, and end with WHERE IN THE WORLD ARE YOU? It is going to determine what is reasonable, what is dreaming, and everything else in between.

Thank you, HU. More to ponder/explore—like cost, install considerations, etc

if others have experiences to share, thank you. Relevancy of my inquiry is that our community is financially responsible for maintaining the streets and sidewalks—not the city. i hope we can find a solution to keep mature trees and avoid trip hazards/ hardscape damage.

I have to say, it's a mixed bag. Sometimes barriers work. Sometimes they do not. Like Patricia--whose commentary I don't find valueless, quite the opposite although I'm not going to comment on the argument or the pointless and obvious provocation at the start of it--I've seen tree roots do things that amazed me, including punching through solid piping and concrete. And in other cases, they seemed powerless against the opposition.

Barriers I've had (Pennsylvania) work well against normal rooting. Tree root, sometimes.

taftna - Have you mentioned how wide the planting strips are? That is a critical bit of info before making a decision.

good question, artinnatire. About 4.5 feet. The strip between road and sidewalk. The decision is to install the trees (species specified, Trident Maple) is informed by the landscape design site plan, approved and subsequently required by the city to meet UDO compliance. So that is not up for debate or consideration. I have been advised by our arborists (referenced above) who focus on saving trees to consider installing root barriers, as this would be the time to do it.

thank you!

I tend to agree. https://hort.ifas.ufl.edu/woody/Pages/acebue/acebue.shtml and https://sexytrees.com/tree-types-non-invasive-tree-roots/ (just two small examples)

Note that the maple, the Trident maple in particular, does tend toward a shallower root system and landscape paper or root mat can also lead to less oxygen in the soil, leading to shallower root systems yet (the balance being both oxygen and water penetration, both of which can be impacted by those. Ask me about a garden I had where the soil went horribly dead from the stuff in large patches... (Never again would be the takeaway on that point).

But assuming you're not growing grass atop it and expecting that to work with 1" of soil on the barrier, it could be removed later if it turns out to be a problem.

Thank you, Drew, for the Sexy Trees link. I am going to review this tonight and may f/u w/ comments regarding.

Interesting you note the shallower root system for Trident Maple, we have 6 planted presently (~6 yrs old) in same restricted area and I has subconsciously noted the roots are visible--have since looks again and indeed shallow roots confirmed. I hesitate to go here, but.... does this shallow root system cause more issues or simply a feature of the tree?

I am trying to follow. Can you elaborate on root mat/landscape paper point?

Regarding grass atop, no. We have/had sod too close to our trees' trunks, but have been advised to extend mulch bed the width of the canopy (so estimated ~10ft wide). I am working on getting that done within the scope of the soil health projects.

Lastly, root barriers could be removed if needed? Apologies for being such a novice. I have never worked with them. Clearly.

Thank you in advance.