Bridging walls for tree roots – when it actually happens, it’s beautiful

“The tree is damaging my brick wall!“, they exclaim. “Fell the tree!“, they demand. Frankly, the word “no” would be sufficient, in at least a good portion of cases. After all, there’s an easy engineering solution that not only balances the need for a crack-free wall and the presence of a tree, but also signals ingenuity and a reasoned approach to situation management – the bridging of said wall around the butt of the tree and its immediatly-adjacent root plate. The issue is addressed in various publications, including Tree Roots in the Built Environment, and it is a message that needs to be communicated to homeowners and tree owners alike. More of the below, please!

A fairly large sycamore (Acer pseudoplatanus) within touching distance of a low brick wall and a pathway. A recipe for disaster, surely? No! The tree can easily be retained via a simple feat of engineering, as we can see even from afar.

Not only does the remaining wall have a much lower chance of being directly damaged by the secondary thickening of the sycamore roots, but it also saves on bricks!

We can see how the roots sit snugly beneath the brick wall, and the tree is making itself even more cosy by girdling itself………… (?).