Root Flare Excavation

One of the most common causes of tree decline in the urban landscape is improper planting. Trees are simply buried too deeply, leaving root flares covered and prone to rotting.

While roots are biologically made to be underground in a dark and moist environment to collect water and nutrients for the tree, tree trunks are not. The living tissue on trunks will breakdown if they are covered by soil or even mulch for an extended period of time.

Root flares are located at the base of the tree trunk. They taper out from the trunk to stabilize the tree. If you can’t see your tree’s root flares, then your tree might be struggling against unnecessary stress.

AirSpade®

At Tree Shepherds, we expose root flares safely and efficiently with an AirSpade®. The tool removes soil and debris from around the trunk and roots by means of high-pressure air blown through a hose. The tool decreases the changes of damage to the roots and trunk, which is likely to happen if, for example, a shovel is used to expose the root flares. Damaged roots or trunks can lead to infection by fungi and pests.

What You Can Expect from our Crews

Our root flare exposure crews are…

• Fully licensed by the International Society of Arboriculture (ISA)
• Fully insured
• Positive and friendly

Each root flare exposure crew…

• Follows OSHA standards and guidelines
• Employs expert techniques to safely and efficiently expose root flares
• Thoroughly removes any and all trimming and pruning debris from your yard