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Welcome to today’s 1:5:10:365 Tip for becoming a better steward for our home and planet.
1:5:10:078 Tip: When a large tree is stressed by drought it can remove 100 gallons of water from the soil each day. This can be especially damaging to buildings if the tree roots extend under the building and the soil is expansive clay.
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Additional Information
Trees should not be planted close enough to buildings for the roots to extend under the foundation. This generally means you need to plant the tree as far from the building as its expected mature height. If you have an existing tree that is too close, an experienced arborist can cap offending roots and help save both the building and the tree.
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1:5:10:365 EcoTip Blog 
Seems more true that soil grade will drop than raise from trees. I’ve only seen one tree slightly raise the side of a single story home, and never seen one raise a two story home.
But soil shrinkage I’ve seen even when trees are not present, let alone there being a tree to speed up the process. Makes sense.
MDV / Oregon
Comment by M. D. Vaden - Portland Landscape & Trees — December 1, 2009 @ 8:11 am