Shaved roots

The first picture is a locust tree in Morningside Road taken less than 2 months ago, full of new growth. The second one is from a Morningside Road resident, he sent it to me yesterday in the afternoon. His e-mail said:

Tree just came down on a house on Morningside! Cops here now. No roots on the street side!

The tree that came down is the same locust tree, it was located between Lakeside Avenue and South Prospect Street, where contractors just finished street construction. It strikes me how intact and perfectly straight the recently installed Belgium blocks are, still after the tree came down.

Acording to Wikipedia:

Despite its name, Honey locust is not a significant honey plant. The name derives from the sweet taste of the legume pulp, which was used for food by Native American people, and can also be fermented to make beer...A Native American legend is that the Thunder Spirit recognized his son by his ability to sit comfortably on locust branches, despite the thorns...It tolerates urban conditions, compacted soil, road salt, alkaline soil, heat and drought.

I showed the pictures to the director of the New Jersey Tree Foundation. In her opinion the roots were shaved which is likely the reason the tree came down. There were no roots on the street-side of the tree to anchor it; trees that have root damage don't need a big storm or strong winds to bring it down, she explained.

This was a close call, fortunately nobody was harmed. Cutting the roots of a tree is dangerous; it should be avoided or done only under the supervision of an arborist.