I have a 50 year old Linden tree. My front lawn has been trenched (8 feet deep) to replace the sewer line and passes about 6 feet away from the base of the tree. There are lots of broken roots in the trench. Is there anything that I should do to help the tree recover from this root damage? Should the broken roots be clean cut? I've heard of hormones to promote root (instead of crown) growth ... The trench gets filled in tomorrow, so any feedback would be welcomed. Thanks, Tim.
Doesn't sound good. The tree is likely to get extensive root decay and become dangerous in the future. Get an on-site inspection from an ISA-registered professional arboricultural consultant.
A record-sized English oak at a government experiment station on Vancouver Island quickly died after a similar operation was undertaken.
