Spent three hours on a simple pine removal because of hidden concrete

Had a job to take down a small pine in a backyard in Springfield. Started cutting the root flare like normal, but my saw kept hitting something hard. Dug around and found a solid ring of old concrete about a foot down, probably from a long-gone fence post. Had to chip it all out with a demo bar before I could even get to the taproot. What's the weirdest thing you've found buried at the base of a tree?

2 comments

2 Comments

mitchell.shane1mo ago

That's a classic one (concrete collars are the worst). Just a small note, you usually want to avoid cutting the root flare itself when removing a tree. You'd normally cut the roots further out, past the flare. The flare is that wide part at the very base, and damaging it can make the tree unstable on the way down. Hitting concrete there would definitely stop you cold though. Weirdest thing I ever found was an entire bicycle frame, just wrapped up in the roots of an oak.

wren3011mo ago

Honestly, cutting into the root flare is sometimes the only practical move. If you're dealing with a tight space or old concrete right up against the trunk, going further out isn't an option. The whole stability thing gets overblown, a skilled crew can manage a tree that's a bit loose. That bike frame story just proves trees swallow anything, so you have to adapt and cut where you can.