Can I remove elm tree roots from an older and established elm tree?
The roots are sending up suckers in the lawn and they are raising my driveway. Answer: Removing a few roots should not be a problem. I would not remove too many large ones at once due to stress on the tree or removing stabilizing roots that may help to keep the tree upright. If there were a number of roots that need to be removed then you would want to remove them over a period of a few years to give the tree a chance to regrow supporting roots somewhere else. After a tree’s roots are cut it would be a good idea to leave the cut end of the root exposed to the open air and not cover it with soil. There are some diseases, such as crown gall, carried in soils the can infect this fresh wound if it were covered. You don’t need to apply a pruning paint or fungicide. The tree’s natural healing ability will close the wound to infections. In the case of tree roots going under the driveway, you could cut a trench in the soil a foot or two from the driveway between the tree and the driveway. This
