digging near tree roots

[Mimi]

New housing is going on behind us. The bylaw here is that you may dig within 6 feet of the property line. However, right at the property line, we have a line of old ash and maples. That's one of the reasons we bought this property. The new houses are about to be landscaped by the builder and he is going to dig deep right at the 6 foot line. Our trees are already suffering from the droughts of the past two summers. Will the trees be able to handle this intrusion into their root systems? Help! I believe they are going to do this within the next couple of days.

[pruninggal]

Unless they have very ecologically sensitive contractors they will pay no attention to the tree roots. New construction is very hard on trees especially if the original grade is disturbed. The link below is to a resource from the International Abroiculture Society about root disturbance. Perhaps your best bet is getting a licensed tree person out for a consult asap.

http://www.treesaregood.com/treecare...nstruction.asp