Colorado State University Extension Tri River Area

There are five trees [Siberian Elms (Ulmus parvifolia] in this planting area. They were planted about 1931. The contractor decided to improve the appearance of the property by placing concrete planters around the base of each tree. The planters didn't fit. The only way to get the planters to fit was to cut roots. Root flares were severed as seen in the following photos.

Root flares are formed when major roots (main order roots) enlarge. These roots anchor the tree in the ground and are responsible for the uptake of water and nutrients necessary to keep the tree alive. A tree has a limited number of major roots. Cutting or shaving root flares can result in the death of the tree. The more root flares damaged the more likely the tree will die. Furthermore, severing root flares results in a tree likely to topple causing damage, bodily injury or death.

These trees are in the right-of-way of the City of Grand Junction. The value of the trees was established to be $39,200 and the individual responsible for the damage was billed accordingly.

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