Root Flair Excavation
Arader Tree Service uses a technique called Root Flair Excavation. High-pressure air is used to clear the roots. This is a much safer technique for the tree. It involves removal of soil from around the tree trunk base to reveal the root condition and orientation. If you don't see an above ground cause of the problem, then the only other place to look is below ground. The first thing to look for is the root flair. Is it visible above the soil line? If the trunk resembles a utility pole stuck in the ground, then the tree is planted too deeply or the soil around it has been re-graded. Girdling roots will often suppress trunk growth so that one

side of the tree will not have a flare. In 1990 a leading tree company excavated the collars around 393 trees, and found ninety three percent planted too deeply. Avoid piling too much mulch up around the trunk.	Excess mulch results in bark decay and the production of advantitious roots.
This White Pine shows no above-ground cause of yellowing.	After careful air excavation, the root collar of the white pine shown left shows clearly that it was in the ground too deep. Note the discoloration at the base of the trunk.