Root invigoration gives trees another shot at life

By Mike Unger
Staff Writer

The patient, more than 70 years old, was ailing.

Extensive landscaping in the back yard of the waterfront house outside Annapolis had taken a toll on the 80-foot Southern red oak.

The tree’s roots were no longer able to grow freely, and it was losing its competition with grass and other foliage for water and nutrients.

If something wasn’t done, the tree would die.

Preserving such trees is a passion for nature lovers throughout Anne Arundel Country, who say they not only provide shade and beauty but also are essential t the Chesapeake Bay’s health.

Enter Bartlett Tree Experts, an international company that specializes in reviving struggling trees through a method it calls root invigoration. The company is one of dozens that offers service to county residents.

Last week, a team of works rolled up layers of sod around the oak and began displacing the light brown topsoil with an air spade, a large tool that breaks up the tough dirt without damaging a tree’s roots. This allows the company to put fertilizers and compost into the ground.

“The soil here is basically like cement,” said Joe Bones, a safety director for Bartlett. “Roots will take the path of least resistance. Here, it’s fighting a losing battle.”

The tree’s health can be gauged by looking at another oak just feet away, closer to the water but farther from the house. Its leaves are darker green and much more dense. It has fewer bare branches.

After workers removed debris from previous construction projects form the soil and “fluffed” it with air spade, nutrients such as cow manure were added about a food deep around the trunk’s radius.

There’s no guarantee that the process, which for a tree this size and in this location can cost “several thousand dollars,” will work, said Tyler Balderson, an arborist representative for Bartlett.

“It’s definitely an intricate process, but when you have a tree like this it’s worth it,” he said. “People love the landscape and they feel a responsibility toward the environment.”

The tree, located in the Critical Area, also provides shade to the house. Reducing the homeowner’s summer cooling bill.

The homeowners declined to comment for this story.

The state Critical Area Law limits development within 1,000 feet of the bay and the waterways feeding into it. The law mandates building projects within this area meet a series of standards before they are approved.

The strictest standards apply to construction within a 100-foot buffer zone, which scientists say is needed to reduce erosion and filter pollutants from rainwater runoff. A permit is required to prune ore remove a tree in the area.

Removing a tree the size of the red oak isn’t cheap either. Cutting it down, grinding the stump and hauling out the wood could cost more than $1,000. That expense, Mr. Balderson said, also factors into homeowners’ decisions to try to save trees.

Reviving trees is the Annapolis city government’s preferred policy, city environmentalist Marisa Calisti said.

“We are tree lovers here in the city,” she said. “If it’s on city property and the tree’s not dead, we can fertilize the tree. They are great shade providers, they stop erosion from occurring, the roots actually hold down the soil.”

Both the county and city will work with homeowners to develop plans to save ailing trees.

“In this area, we need trees for their filtration,” said Doug Musser, the county’s forester. “The root systems are filtering pollutants and stabilizing the shoreline.

“Our policy is to save trees in the Critical Area,” he said.

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munger@capitalgazette.com