Maple Trees

Nothing makes a hike in the woods or a walk in the park quite as nice as the beautiful landscape dotted with towering trees. Trees provide us with shade, oxygen, air purification, and they’re just nice to look at, especially in the fall! But, what we might not realize is that much of the tree lies underground, and beneath the soils lies a problem waiting to happen.

Tree roots can damage building foundations, as well as sidewalks and pavements. The most common trees that damage building foundations include Norway maples, silver maples, oaks, ash, poplar, walnut, cottonwood, and sycamore trees. These trees have a high potential to do damage underground.

There are a few things that make your foundation more susceptible to root damage. But rest assured, there are ways to mitigate and even prevent roots from approaching your foundation altogether.

Can Trees Affect House Foundations?

Before we talk about the specific trees that can cause damage, let’s discuss the damage itself. How exactly do trees affect your home’s foundation?

According to the Wyoming Department of Public Works, up to 90% of tree roots are found in the top 12 inches of soil. Foundations range in depth from a few inches below the surface to a few feet. 

Needless to say, your foundation is right in the target zone of grasping roots.

There are two main ways that roots cause damage to your foundation. They will either lift your building up, causing cracks, or they will shrink the soil, which causes the foundation to settle.

Trees Can Lift Up House Foundations

The first way that roots can damage your foundation is by causing your home to lift up slightly. This puts pressure on the foundation, which can buckle and crack.

Roots on a healthy tree will grow annually, just like the trunk does. Purdue University states that, normally, when a root hits an impenetrable object (your foundation) they seek to go around instead of under. 

This is especially true because the soil beneath your foundation is probably compacted from the original construction and dried out due to the cover over the soil.

However, some roots are stubborn and are determined to go under your foundation, or through pre-existing cracks.

As the roots continue to grow, they will take up more and more space beneath your house, literally lifting the building by tiny fractions. 

This phenomenon is a lot less common than other root issues. You are more likely to find roots growing along your foundation than beneath it. 

Trees Can Cause Soil Shrinking Near Foundations

The more common way that roots damage your foundation is by shrinking the soil. So, how exactly do roots shrink the soil?

Roots will look for the most advantageous path to grow. This means plenty of moisture, loose soil, and lots of nutrients. While this doesn’t normally cause a problem, roots that make their way into clay soils can significantly alter the height of the soil when they come through.

Clay soils have a peculiar property where they can hold a ton of moisture. But, when that moisture is gone, clay soils tend to shrivel up and, you guessed it, shrink!

So, when roots are sucking in all the water they can get, they’re actually shrinking the soil around them. This, in turn, causes the foundation to settle. In the process of settling, cracks can form in the foundation.

Most Common Trees That Damage Your Foundation

Whether you’re building a new home or buying an existing home, you’ll want to take a close look at the landscape. What kind of trees do you see?

If you’re not sure, you can always use something like the National Wildlife Federation Field Guide to Trees to help you figure out what you’re looking at! 

Some trees are more prone to damaging foundations than others. According to Michigan State University, trees that are fast growers above ground are often growing just as fast belowground.

These are the trees that you want to look out for because their roots will be far- and fast-reaching. Let’s get into it!

Oak Trees Damage Foundations

Oak trees aren’t as common in landscapes as other trees, but despite this, they tend to cause the most damage to homes. 

There are plenty of different oak tree species, about 90 in the United States alone. They’re typically considered slow-growers, but they are massive, many species being able to top out at 100’ or more.

These enormous oak tree organisms are held in place by a deep taproot that shoots directly beneath the trunk. As the tree grows, lateral roots take hold and begin snaking out from the tree in all directions. These roots can reach as far as three times the height of the tree.

In addition to being a danger to your foundation, some oak species are prone to limb drop. If you have an oak tree in your yard and a limb is hanging over your house, it’s best to remove it before it decides to drop on its own.

If you need a proper oak tree fertilizer, we wrote a guide on the best fertilizers for your oak tree!

Ash Tree Roots Cause Foundation Damage

Ash trees are often confused with some of our other problem trees like poplars, hickory, and boxelder. 

The biggest problem with ash tree roots is that they are shallow. After the deep taproot is established, lateral roots form, both large and small. The ash tree’s large roots can equally be found in the A horizon of the soil (surface soil) as well as the B horizon (subsoil) according to the USDA Forest Service.

To identify an ash tree, check out the twigs! They will be opposite each other on the limbs instead of alternating like most other deciduous trees. 

Poplar Trees Damage Foundations

The third most damaging tree on our list is poplar trees. These are often confused with quaking aspen trees or birch trees.

Poplar tree roots are typically a mix of shallow and deep roots. They don’t do well in compacted soil such as from construction in urban and suburban areas. Instead, they’ll find small pockets of loose soil to grow their roots.

This makes older foundations especially susceptible to poplar tree roots. If you have a small crack or imperfection in your foundation, a poplar tree root will find it and move in, widening the crack.

Norway & Silver Maple Tree Roots Damage Foundation

Unlike oak, ash, and poplar tree, not all maple trees are bad for your foundation. The two that are of most concern are Norway and silver maples.

Both Norway and silver maples are fast growers. Norway maple’s root systems are so shallow they can compete with your lawn grass for nutrients! Silver maples are known for their massive and fast-growing root systems.

If you plant a silver maple, it’s recommended to plant it at least 10 feet from your foundation. More, if you’re able.

The Norway maple is one of the only trees known to actually lift foundation instead of damaging it via shrinking of clay soils.

If you need a good maple tree fertilizer, take a look at our guide on the best fertilizers for maple trees here!

Black Locust Trees Grow Fast & Roots Can Damage Your Foundation

Robinia pseudoacacia, the black locust, is a fast-growing tree native to the Eastern U.S. This tree is very hard to control once it’s established, which makes it a possible problem tree for homeowners.

Black locusts reproduce in a similar way to aspen trees by creating clones. This is done through a process called suckering, where new shoots form from dying roots or old stumps.

Besides the difficulty of controlling these advantageous trees, they also have a very wide, fibrous root system. This can be problematic for foundations, especially because the roots are fast-growing.

In fact, it’s better if you just don’t even look at a black locust tree…

Boxelder Trees Can Lift Your Foundation

Boxelder trees are not very desirable in yards, streets, or urban areas. They attract boxelder bugs, are short-lived, and have brittle wood prone to dropping.

However, according to the US Forest Service, they can grow in a wide variety of conditions and pop up here and there on their own in many areas.

Similar to Norway maples, boxelder trees have a very shallow root system that can lift sidewalks and foundations, rather than shrinking the soil and causing settling.

Not ideal to plant near your home.

Spruce Tree Roots Can Damage Your Foundation

Two types of spruce trees can cause foundation damage. Brewer’s weeping spruce and the Norway spruce. Seems like Norway species are just a no-go all around, right?

According to a 2003 study, the roots of the Norway spruce prefer humus-rich soils, which are typically found near the surface in the O horizon. 

While brewer’s weeping spruce do not have roots as shallow as the Norway spruce, they still cling to surface soils, with a few vertical roots penetrating deeper to hold the tree in place.

In total, the deeper the roots go (and the wider,) the more likely you are to have problems.

Other Trees That Damage Foundation

While the list of potentially damaging trees is long, the above-mentioned trees are the most likely to damage your foundation.

Here 8 other trees that can damage your foundation:

• Sweetgum
• Walnut
• Hickory
• Cottonwood
• Sycamore
• Loblolly Pine
• Crimean Pine
• Tuliptree

These trees are not as likely to damage your foundation but have the potential due to their fast-growing and shallow roots.

How Do You Know If Tree Roots Are Damaging The Foundation?

It’s not unheard of for foundations to crack due to things other than tree roots. Soils naturally grow and shrink with weather conditions, buildings settle into the recently-dug soils, and even small tremors and earthquakes can cause damage, even if you can’t feel them.

Nonetheless, if you’re noticing small cracks around your foundation, you’ll want to learn what’s causing it as quickly as possible to avoid costly damage.

There’s really only one way to tell if tree roots are damaging your foundation, and that’s to physically look beneath the soil near your foundation and check for roots.

According to the University of Florida, you can do this by excavating the area around your foundation and looking for roots. This can be made easy if you draw a line from the nearest tree to your house and simply dig around this area of your foundation.

Don’t be fooled if you find no roots in the direct line from the tree. Roots can be far-reaching, so excavate a few feet in each direction to ensure you are seeing the whole scope of the root system.

How To Fix Damaged Foundation From Trees

Owning a home can be a wonderful experience. You get your own space, no need to worry about paying landlords or dealing with flimsy, thin walls between you and your neighbor.

But it’s a lot of work!

The last thing you want to deal with is damage to the very foundation of your home. Literally! Cracks and fissures in your foundation and sidewalk can be a headache, but there are ways to fix and prevent the damage from tree roots.

Water Your Foundation

Don’t worry, you read that right! It may sound strange, but watering the area around your foundation can fix your problem fast.

This typically works best if your foundation is built on clay soils. Trees tend to be stingy with their water, sucking in all they can get and leaving little for anything else around them.

When roots horde water, it causes clay soils to dry up, shrivel, and shrink. Watering the area around your foundation will inflate the soil back up, possibly closing the cracks on their own.

Even if your foundation damage isn’t caused by stingy tree roots, you can use this method to fix your foundation.

Plant Less Invasive Species

This solution doesn’t really work if there are invasive trees already in your yard. Unless you want to spend the money cutting them down and planting new trees, you may be stuck with your current landscape trees.

However, if you’re thinking of planting new trees or have just built a home and have the option to choose your landscape trees, pick tree species that are less harmful to the foundation.

Trees that are not prone to building damage include:

• Cypress Trees: There are several different types of cypress trees, but most have a deep taproot that is accompanied by lateral roots. These roots do not generally break the surface or cause problems in building foundations.
  
• Fruit Trees: Trees from the genus Prunus are pretty safe to plant around homes. These include plum, cherry, peach, apricot, and almond trees.
  
• Pine Trees: Except for Crimean, loblolly, and swiss tone pine, pine trees are an excellent choice to plant in your yard. Their roots tend to grow down instead of out, keeping your foundation safe from pesky roots.

Use A Tree Root Barrier To Save Your Foundation

Root barriers are meant to guide roots in a particular direction such as away from your foundation. They work by creating an impenetrable barrier that the roots cannot poke through, and must go around.

Something like DeepRoot Tree Root Barrier can help guide destructive roots away from your foundation, paved driveway, or sidewalks. The great thing about the DeepRoot product is it comes in a variety of sizes, so you can choose what best suits your situation.

Root barriers are especially effective on shallow root systems, which is what most of the damaging trees have. You can even use these on non-damaging roots such as bushes planted close to the house.

Getting To The Root Of The Problem!

Trees can add a lot of value to your landscape and they provide shelter, food, and shade to plenty of little critters that can be fun to watch. But one thing we don’t want our trees to do is harm our homes.

For trees like oak trees, they live for quite some time. Oak trees generally have a long lifespan. So, these foundation problems will only continue to grow!

If you notice cracks or fissures in your foundation, roots are not always the culprit. Be sure to check out what kind of trees are around your home to figure out if you have one of the more damaging trees around.

To recap, the trees most likely to damage your foundation include:

• Oak
• Ash
• Poplar
• Silver Maple
• Norway Maple
• Black Locust
• Boxelder 
• Norway Spruce
• Brewer’s Weeping Spruce

There are a host of other potentially damaging trees, but these 9 seem to be the most often talked about and the most destructive.

Trees with shallow roots that are less far-reaching come with their own problems. These trees tend to be susceptible to wind damage and can blow over more easily than trees that have deep taproots and far-reaching lateral roots.

Taking steps to prevent roots from reaching your foundation before you have a problem is the best approach to dealing with invasive roots. But all in all, trees tend to have a more positive impact on our yards than negative, especially if you’re aware of and prepared for wandering roots.

References:

Biddle, G. (2001, October 10-13). Tree Root Damage to Buildings [Shallow Foundation and Soil Properties Committee Sessions at ASCE Civil Engineering Conference]. Houston, Texas. https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/40592(270)1

Hitchmough, J., & Fieldhouse, K. (2008). Plant User Handbook: A Guide to Effective Specifying. John Wiley & Sons.

Randrup, T. B., McPherson, E. G., & Costello, L. R. (2001, March). Tree Root Intrusion in Sewer Systems: Review of Extent and Costs. Journal of Infrastructure Systems, 7(1). https://ascelibrary.org/doi/abs/10.1061/(ASCE)1076-0342(2001)7:1(26)

Roberts, J., Jackson, N., & Smith, M. (2006). Tree Roots in the Built Environment. The Stationery Office.

Oak trees and maple trees. What comes to mind when you hear these words? Maybe it is the sticky syrup that pairs perfectly with a pancake, or the acorns that squirrels love to snatch up.

In general, oak and maple trees can be determined by their leaves. White oak tree leaves usually have a rounded tip, while red oak trees have tips that tend to be more pointed. Maple tree leaves have veins, are pinnate, and made up of three single leaves to create one large leaf.

So, is one tree better than the other? If you pick maples vs oak or vice versa, will you regret it? The truth is, either might be perfect for you. One might also end up being better than the other based on your needs and expectations. We are here to give you some insight that will help you come to a conclusion… so, come along!

What Are The Major Differences Between Oak and Maple Trees?

There’s no argument about it. All trees are different, depending on fruit, leaves, bark, or even just the potential for growth or ability to adapt to difficult environments.

Some trees do better around water, while some don’t need it nearly as much. There are so many factors that go into determining different species and their applicable offshoots.

Specifically, though, you may be wondering not about these finite details that could be discussed for hours, but the actual differences between the trees themselves. 

Whether you are looking for lumber, to plant a new shade tree in the family backyard, or to plant something that will make your business attractive to customers as they walk through the door, knowing about what you are buying matters. 

Trees are nature, but they are also a product and, when it comes to deciding which product to obtain for your space, we want you to have all the important details!

Well, here are a few things to know about the specific differences between maple and oak trees.

Is Maple Harder Than White Oak?

In a word, yes. 

With further explanation, yes… but.

Maple and oak are both hardwood trees, but maple is harder than oak. However, oak is more stable than maple, especially when working with flooring and products that require thinner, more finely-cut pieces of wood. 

If you are looking to buy a tree for your yard, this difference does not matter nearly as much as it would for someone looking to source the best kind of wood for a new home or business. 

To give you some quantitative information, maple ranks at 1450 while white oak is at a slightly lesser 1360 and, another species, red oak comes in at 1290 on the Janka hardness rating scale.

Are Oak Trees Bigger Than Maple?

Maple trees actually have a much greater range of sizes than oak trees. Most maples grow to a height of 10-45 meters, which translates to about 35-150 feet, more or less. Other times, these trees can end up being less than 10 meters tall and will appear more like shrubs due to the multiple small trunks stemming out at ground level.

Because some species of maple are actually shrubs, their mature heights may be as short as 8 feet tall. These smaller maples may also be able to grow in containers due to their small size, even if just for the beginning of their life span.

As for oak trees, the small ones may reach about 6-9 meters, or about 20-30 feet, whereas larger oak trees will reach 30 meters or 100 feet. Whereas maple trees may hold the title for the broadest range of growth, oaks are known for something else.

Oak trees show significant growth not only in their height but also in a horizontal manner. Everything from as low as the roots to as high as the tallest branch is likely to grow far from the middle of the tree. Maple trees of a similar size would not exhibit this same lateral sort of growth. Keep this in mind if you are looking to fit a tall tree into a small patch of property.

Major Oak Tree and Maple Tree Leaf and Bark Differences

To really, truly differentiate between oak and maple, there first needs to be a proper understanding of the trees.

There are 2 main categories of oak trees, red and white oak. Within these categories, in North America alone, there are dozens of different varieties. Altogether, when we account for new varieties, hybrids, and oaks that appear internationally, there are about 500 varieties of oak trees. 

Luckily, we can divide oak trees between red and white, while there are fewer (about 100) varieties of maple trees. This means that we can just call them all maple and keep the comparison coming. 

When it’s all said and done, there are really two major parts of a tree that we can compare- the leaves and bark.

Without further adieu, the 4 major differentiating factors between oaks (white and red) and maple trees.

Oak Leaves Vs. Maple Leaves Differences

So… leaves. Arguably one of the most important aspects of a tree. They are the blob that children learn to draw atop what would otherwise be a brown line. They give the tree character and change into a beautiful sea of color during the colder months of the year. 

The chemical composition of leaves themselves can actually be related to soil conditions. Remember how we mentioned trees that are more adaptable to less ideal conditions? These are often selected for afforestation, and studies have been done that show that there is a significant difference in those leaves of trees which have different soil conditions to nurture the growth.

How could one possibly know all of the intricacies, all of the differences between the leaves of an oak and a maple tree? We are here to help with just that question.

Oak vs. Maple Leaf Shape

White oak leaves usually have a rounded tip, while their red cousins have tips that tend to be more pointed. 

Similarly, the lobe of a white oak is also rounded without bristles coming up at the tip of the lobe. This means that the serrations along the outer edges of the white oak leaf are also rounded.

Red oak leaves have pointed lobes that do, in fact, sport some bristles at the lobe tips. This species of oak is a bit trickier than its counterpart because there is a greater variety of leaf shapes that might appear. The edges of red oak leaves may be round and more smoothly serrated, or they might sport harsher, more acute edges.

The leaves of a maple tree are pinnate and actually made up of three single leaves to create this one larger leaf that we see. The individual leaves are curved, but irregularly so, sort of like those of a white oak but not quite. 

These hard maple leaves have lobes that are compared to the spaces between the fingers of a human hand. They are rounded, a bit spaced out without being too far apart, and characteristic of a hard maple leaf.

If you happen to be dealing with a soft maple leaf, the lobes will be shaped more like a ‘V’ than a ‘U’ because of the sharper edges of the leaf as a whole.

Maple Leaf Veins (& Petioles)

The maple leaf petiole, which we see just before the veins start, is long and reddish. It also appears to be coarsely toothed throughout the leaf. One small downside is that this is subject to attack by a ‘maple petiole borer’, a wasp that will not cause major damage but will certainly act as a hindrance to the success of your maple tree.

The veins of both oaks and maples are thin and spread through the leaves themselves.

Oak Vs. Maple Tree Bark Differences

Aren’t trees classified by their leaves? How else can you tell apart an oak and a maple if not for the shape of the leaves as you walk past? 

What is one to do in the winter when trying to determine the species of tree at which they are looking? That’s easy!

Bark is a great, relatively easy, classifier of tree species during the winter months when trees (other than evergreens) have lost all of their pretty leaves that normally help us differentiate between them. 

So, that’s all well and good but… what are the differences in bark that might be useful to us?

Oak vs. Maple Tree Bark Shade

Hard Maple usually exhibits a color that is both lighter and more consistent throughout the trunk and branches. 

Soft maple, however, is typically a darker color, mixing in shades of brown, red, and even grey at times.

Young oak trees often have a silvery brown look, while mature oak trees will see a change in the color of their bark. Of course, it all depends on the species but the bark may become a light grey in some white oak varieties. On the contrary, red oak varieties may shift toward a very dark color, almost black looking at times.

This is one reason why it is difficult to classify comparisons in ‘this’ vs ‘that’ when trees have so many species and even more varieties within those. It really is ‘this entire category of plant life’ vs ‘a different, yet related whole category of plant life.’

Oak vs. Maple Tree Bark Texture

A young red maple may have smooth, unbroken bark that looks quite different from the cracked-looking, rougher bark of, say, a northern red oak.

Somewhere in the middle would fall the scarlet oak, which has some vertical cracks and seams in the bark that is otherwise smooth, more similar to the young red maple than the northern red oak, funny enough. 

Generally, the bark of young oak trees is smooth, though this may not be true of every single variety. Especially as these trees mature, the bark will become more cracked with deep ridges along the bark. 

What Defines An Oak Tree?

Let’s summarize some of the finer points of what it really means to talk about an oak tree.

To identify oak trees, first, you will want to look for the leaves, if there are any. You’ll expect to see deeply lobed leaves that may sport either pointed or rounded tips (we know, they just can’t make it easy on us, right?)

If you cannot get a good look at those leaves for whatever reason, winter, the height of the branches, or some other reason, look to the bark for some answers!

The bark should have a scaly look due to its ridges and the deep fissures running along the trunk. If the tree is visibly younger, with a thinner trunk and shorter overall height, the bark may appear smooth. This doesn’t mean it’s not an oak tree, just that it is not yet fully matured. 

The color of the bark may be whitish silver, but it could get as dark as black. So, knowing the color of the bark may not be as helpful in this scenario.

The fruit of an oak tree is more commonly referred to as a nut, the acorn in particular. If properly prepared, humans can eat these nuts just like any other! 

Keep these key factors in mind, and you’ll be able to distinguish oaks in no time!

What Defines A Maple Tree?

We’ve had the chance to talk about identifying an oak tree in summary, so now let’s go over maples!

To identify maple trees, the best indicator is the leaves. Maple tree leaves will have between 3 and 9 lobes, and some will have prominent veins (the petioles.) Many of these leaves will have serrated lobes. 

All of these factors together (amount of lobes, shape of the leaf as a whole, serration, and indentations on the leaf) will help to identify specific varieties within the maple category.

In the fall months, maple trees find their leaves changing color. You’ll be able to spot shades of red, yellow, burgundy, and orange. Sometimes a single tree will have a mixture of all of these colors!

In the summer months, and as they grow back in the spring, maple leaves are a dark green color. They have fruit in the form of winged seeds. These are sometimes known as helicopters.

A cool tip: humans can eat these nut-like fruits, samaras, too! Unlike acorns, these can be plucked right from the tree and are actually said to be tastier when picked this way, as opposed to being collected as the tree releases them naturally. The more you know!

Finally, we couldn’t forget about the fact that maple trees produce the sap which is the ever-important base of maple syrup. Yum! But also… sticky. More to consider, this sap could be a pro or a con. Maybe it’s both- you’ll have to decide this for yourself.

Lock these characteristics in your brain, so that the next time you try to distinguish a maple tree, you won’t be doing so in vain.

What Are The Most Valuable Hardwood Trees?

In temperate climates, both oak and maple trees are among the most valuable hardwood trees. They stand among ash, cherry, walnut, and tulipwood in this categorization.

Furniture is their main use, but joinery and interior decoration are other popular ways to incorporate these hardwood trees into one’s home, office, or other business space.

Is Oak Better Than Maple?

This question is commonly asked but does not have a satisfying answer. Unfortunately, there are just too many factors to compare and too many differences in what people hope to get out of a tree (or its lumber) to be able to classify one as ‘better’ than the other.

That’s All For Now!

Now that we’ve learned a little more about the differences between maple and oak trees, as well as what makes them unique, it’s clear that trees are complex organisms that deserve thorough research and understanding before you choose a specific kind.

Maple might be harder than oak but oak is more stable. Maple is better suited for smaller square footages, while oak will not produce a sticky sap. There are many more factors like these that go into the decision of which one is ‘the one.’

When one tree is eventually selected, whether you are planting the tree itself or looking to harvest its wood, we hope that you feel confident in your decision.

It’s not likely that you’ll run into huge issues or downsides with a maple or an oak tree, but keep these factors in mind as you continue to look into what you will eventually purchase. 

The fruit of each tree will likely attract some little critters, but can also act as the star of a fun foraging activity for those with kids (or anyone who wants to mindfully use all of their resources!) 

The leaves are all similar, but different. The bark tells you things that the leaves wouldn’t be able to and is a great substitute for those trying to distinguish species amid winter. 

Both maple and oak trees are sturdy, beneficial to own, produce great wood, and offer a source of shade when you are in need. 

But, don’t forget that each tree is individual. Expect a beautiful touch of the natural world in your backyard, in your home, or anywhere else that you are in the presence of these two great hardwood trees. 

References

James C. Finley and Sanford S. Smith. October 2009. From the Woods: Ten Important Hardwoods. PennState Extension.

Ovington, J. D. (1956). The composition of tree leaves. Forestry: An International Journal of Forest Research, 29(1), 22-28.

Koczan, G., Karwat, Z., & Kozakiewicz, P. (2021). An attempt to unify the Brinell, Janka and Monnin hardness of wood on the basis of Meyer law. Journal of Wood Science, 67(1), 1-16.