List of trees to avoid planting near your home foundation

If you enjoy podcasts, you may enjoy Episode 26 of the Home Space and Reason Podcast on Creating great Outdoor Spaces. As discussed in this episode, this is a list of trees to avoid planting near your home foundation…

A tree-root-damage study cited by the Michigan State University Extension found

1. Oak (Quercus spp.) roots caused 11 percent of foundation damage, even when they made up only 2 percent of the tree population.

2. Poplars and Ash Trees also cause a disproportionate amount of foundation damage.

3. Other trees to avoid planting near foundations include the black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia), boxelder (A. negundo), Norway and silver maples (Acer platanoides and saccharinum), sweetgum (Liquidambar styraciflua), sycamore (Platanus occidentalis) and tuliptree (Liriodendron tulipifer).

4. Evergreen species with invasive roots include the Brewer's weeping spruce (Picea brewerana), Crimean pine (Pinus nigra caramanica), loblolly pine (P. taeda), Norway spruce (P. abies) and Swiss stone pine (P. cembra).

5. Although Wisteria is not a tree, it’s a vine, it can also cause foundation and structure damage.