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Common Cultural Problems
Air pollution
Chlorosis
Construction damage
Desiccating wind
Drought damage
Fasciation
Fertilizer burn
Frost injury
Hail damage
Lime-induced chlorosis
Marginal leaf necrosis
Morphological changes
Mosses and lichens
Needle loss
Needle tip necrosis
Nutrient deficiency
Oedema
Overwatering or poor drainage
Plant girdling and circling roots
Poor pollination
Salt damage
Sunscald
Transplant shock
Winter desiccation
Winter injury
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Caption: Root damage and dieback resulting from construction
Photo by: R.S. Byther
Common Cultural : Construction damage
(revision date: 4/30/2013)
Use Integrated Pest Management (IPM) for successful plant problem management.
Biology
Disturbances in the root zone such as cutting roots, covering roots with sidewalks or pavement, adding a layer of topsoil, changing soil grade, or changing water drainage patterns can damage or kill trees. Symptoms may occur soon after the disturbance, but commonly are not evident until years later (even up to 10 years). Douglas-fir and madrone are native trees very sensitive to environmental changes.
Management Options
Non-Chemical Management
Do not mound soil and construction debris over the root zones of trees.
Do not trench through the root zones of large trees.
Select non-chemical management options as your first choice!
Chemical Management
IMPORTANT:
Visit Home and Garden Fact Sheets for more information on using pesticides
None recommended
Images
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Caption: Root damage and dieback resulting from construction
Photo by: R.S. Byther
Caption: Root suffocation/dieback from mounding soil over roots
Photo by: R.S. Byther