• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
RTEC Treecare

RTEC Treecare

Expert Tree Care in the DC Metro Area | Call 703-573-3029 to talk to a Tree Care Expert.

  • Home
  • About
    • Who We Serve
      • Government
      • Commercial Environmental Services
      • Residential
    • Our Story
    • Our Team
    • Our Core Values
    • Testimonials
  • Plant Health Care
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Careers
    • We Are an Equal Opportunity Employer
    • We Welcome Veterans and Military Service Members
    • RTEC Benefits
    • RTEC Is Now Hiring
  • Blog
  • 703-573-3029
  • Contact Us

My New Driveway Destroyed My Tree

Resources: Tree Maintenance

I remember standing with my father as the driveway salesman told us it would be completely fine to pave over the tree’s root flare. He promised us that it wouldn’t hurt the tree or the driveway. It didn’t take long before we realized the driveway part of that statement was a lie, but it took years before we learned that this decision would cause irreversible damage to our Oak tree. In the end, my new driveway destroyed my tree.

Critical Root Zone Of The Oak Tree

The Beginning

At first, the tree roots started to crack the driveway, which frustrated my parents. Little did we know it was the tree’s attempt at self-defense. Eventually, the tree stopped cracking the driveway any further and everything seemed great. It wasn’t until a few years later that we started to notice small branches falling out of the tree. My mother blamed it on squirrels. But come every Autumn the tree still had enough leaves to cover our yard time and time again, in our minds nothing was wrong. 

image

Bring On The Secondary Invaders

Come springtime our Oak started dripping what we thought was sap. Annoyed by sap all over our cars every morning my dad threatened to cut down the tree. But my mom protested and eventually won, in her eyes the sap was normal and the tree was healthy so why cut it down? In reality, our tree was infested with secondary invaders. Secondary invaders are pests that only infect trees after they are in a weakened state. In our case, it was a plant-sucking insect whose excrement resembles sap. It wasn’t until the next spring when the tree’s leaves grew in patchy that my parents began to think something was wrong.

2016: Our Oak’s Final Year

Now my once great Oak, the tree that provided me so many memories of childhood games and adventures, is barely hanging on. It has huge patches of deadwood and low hanging branches which clip the communication and power lines when they fall.  For safety reasons, it will be soon taken down.

imageAs I look back now, with the knowledge working at RTEC has given me, I realize our tree has been struggling for a long time. For years it has been trying to heal itself from the damage we imposed on it; all while trying to provide a full, beautiful canopy with only 60-70% of its roots fully functioning.

The thing is, trees die slowly. Just as it takes years for them to grow tall and strong, it takes years for them to start showing their decline from root damage.  I’m sharing my story because most homeowners don’t know that construction damage can do irreversible harm to a tree and most only notice the signs after it’s too late.

Leading Construction Jobs That Do Damage:

  • Fence Installs
  • Deck Installs
  • Additions
  • Driveway Installs
  • Irrigation System Installs

So You’re Saying I Can Never Do Any Construction Without Killing My Tree?  

No, thankfully trees are resilient. Trees can survive your construction project if they are properly prepared for construction and cared for after the event. This kind of before and after care is what we call a Tree Preservation Plan.

If you are having construction done on your property and don’t want to do irreversible damage to your trees a Tree Preservation Plan is imperative.

 

Primary Sidebar

Find a Certified Arborist in Your Area!

Google Reviews

Grey Burkhart
Grey Burkhart
March 29, 2022.
Verified
Very professional review of our requirements and an accurate estimate. Showed up on time and were finished quickly. Cleaned up all of the debris and sawdust. Great job all around.
Dennis Bruns
Dennis Bruns
March 8, 2022.
Verified
We have used RTEC Treecare for several years. They do excellent work. Their staff is extremely knowledgeable and take great care in explaining the various options available for your particular situation. I highly recommend them.
Annette Iannucci
Annette Iannucci
February 23, 2022.
Verified
We have been using RTEC for years and were very pleased with the recent tree maintenance work they did for us. As always, we got good advice from their arborist Ben,. The crew that did the work is highly skilled, and they did a great job trimming our trees. They worked safely and efficiently, in addition to leaving the yard clean after they finished the work.
Susan Crawford
Susan Crawford
January 26, 2022.
Verified
RTEC was at my house today to removed a large Magnolia that was badly damaged by the recent snow. They did a fantastic job at a very reasonable price. They arrived right on time, worked efficiently and quickly and cleaned up so well it was hard to tell anything have been disturbed. Over the past several years, I have used RTEC for all the services I checked above, and have always been very pleased with their service and professionalism. I also appreciate that they are not eager to take down trees that don't need to come down. In this case, the damage was too extensive for the tree to recover.
Kenton Morgan
Kenton Morgan
January 20, 2022.
Verified
Once again, RTEC has done a great job. The team showed up right on time and performed all the work that we agreed to. They kept us informed as to progress, coordinated with us concerning our maple, and made recommendations concerning ongoing support for our trees. At the end of the day, they thoroughly cleaned up the debris and left our yard in pristine condition. WELL DONE.
Jean Kluttz
Jean Kluttz
January 3, 2022.
Verified
Not our first time but this time was tricky removal of a large dead tree leaning on a healthy tree. Quick response for estimate, good timing to removal, all clear and healthy tree still fine.
Jerry Haggin
Jerry Haggin
December 16, 2021.
Verified
Very good work while ensuring that I was aware of status of my work order and planned completion.
Mike Iger
Mike Iger
December 16, 2021.
Verified
David Roberts
David Roberts
December 15, 2021.
Verified
We’ve used RTEC for many years for tree maintenance and can’t say enough good things about their service. We use them for tree trimming and for regular treatments to maintain our trees’ health and deal with pests and prevent disease. Their arborist Ben has been especially helpful with advice. RTEC also been especially helpful in emergency situations, once coming to cable a massive, heritage oak in our yard right before a hurricane was about to hit. Highly recommend.
Travis Larson
Travis Larson
December 10, 2021.
Verified
RTEC did an excellent job onsite of removing dead branches from our 80+ year old trees, and trimming other growth too close to our home.
Google rating score: 4.8 of 5, based on 185 reviews.

Resources Library

  • Tree Trimming
  • Tree Removal
  • Tree Maintenance
  • Tree Problems
  • Environmental Services
  • Seasonal Tree Care

Footer

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ADDRESS:
2828 Mary Street
Falls Church, VA 22042

EMAIL: admin@rtectreecare.com
PHONE: 703.573.3029

Copyright © 2022 · RTEC Tree Care · All Rights Reserved

  • TERMS AND CONDITIONS
  • Privacy Policy
  • COOKIE POLICY