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Tree too close to house


Gabe

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We have a Horsechestnut within three metres of our house. It is very mature although not too tall as it's height has obviously been controlled in the past. My concern is what long term effect it is likely to have on the foundations of the property and what I can do to avoid any problems. If I "prune" the top each year will this restrict the growth of the roots or will it make no difference at all ? If I cut off too much of the foliage will the tree die ? If I cut down the tree, are the roots going to rot away and cause a subsidence problem and can this be avoided ?

Any thoughts/advice very welcome.

Gabe

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I think that whether or not removing the tree will cause problems

depends on the type of soil.  My understanding is that, if you

have clay soil then you may be more prone to problems with subsidence

if you remove the tree.  You can check your soil type and hence

the risk of subsidence here

You just enter the name of your commune and it will give you a link to

the 'risk' map.  (Btw the maps are hosted on a site called

www.argiles.fr - which seems to be having problems atm so you may need

to wait a while before checking.)

Kathie

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Well, I didn't manage to find my soil type (it's so dry, I don't think it matters!), but I did find that my commune is at risk of:

Risques

InondationAvec enjeu humain

Feu de forêtsAvec enjeu humain

Transport de marchand dangereuseavec enjeu humain

We've had the inondations, we've had mini feu de forêts, all we need now is something to go wrong with the marchand dangereuse that's being carried around the place!  [:-))]    Wonder what it could be........ radioactive andouillettes? 

Excellent site, Hastobe!   It's like reading a medical dictionary, I'm frissonning all over, I didn't realise life was quite so dangerous.  [:)] 

 

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Three metres from a house for a horse chestnut is a bit close as far as I'm concerned... and I'm someone who happily plants trees fairly close to my house but I'm selective about what I plant and will fell them if they get out of hand. Horse chestnuts are thirsty characters but they only take what they need so restricting the number of leaves will restrict the water uptake and therefore root spread. If you love the tree and it provides welcome shade, continue to manage the tree and you should be okay.
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