Protecting tree (roots) from hoofstock

J

Jurek7

Well-Known Member
15+ year member
How to keep ungulates from killing trees by compacting the ground over their roots?

I recently was to a very nice zoo which has three old chestnut trees in different stages of dying on its mixed African paddock. I believe this topic was discussed, but I cannot find it. Are there tree species insensitive to compacted ground?
 
Palms have a small radicular system and hence should be support better the compacted ground around them.
Maybe these chestnuts are dying from other causes and not necessarily only from the hoof stepping around their roots. Many trees live healthy in ungulate paddocks in zoos.

A simplest method is put a rigid protection (such as a metal platform) that support the weight of the antelopes, and that let pass the rain water, and that remain elevated slightly above the ground. Maybe is not aesthetic but will solve the problem.
 
The question is different if focused on new designs or existing exhibits. In existing exhibits root aeration and other arborists' practices can alleviate compaction. But further steps are required to prevent additional compaction. What those steps would be depends on the tree species as other site conditions.
 
This particular zoo has a small to medium paddock for giraffe, zebra and oryx, which is completely flat loamy earth. There are several mature horse chestnut trees, which are obviously much older than the paddock. They are protected by about 2m of rough stones on the ground, so animals don't come close and eat bark or leaves. But the trees are obviously getting brown and dying. Zoo staff would like to prevent it, but knows little about tree management. Even a rough idea of action plan and budget (look for a local arborist in the yellow pages?) I was curious what they might do.
 
Horsechestnut leaves are toxic so I am surprised that this is the situation.
Yes, they ought to bring in a consulting arborist. Horsechestnuts are subject to a leaf fungal disease in warm wet seasons that cause them to turn brown. If that is what is happening then it is normal, the trees will survive it, and no further action needs to be taken. If branches are dying and there are other problems it may be due to compaction or other causes. So an arborist is needed to first identify the problem and then prescribe remedial actions.
 
At the begin I understood that you was talking about chestnut trees, not horse chestnut tres (that are as related to chestnuts as a dolphin with a bat...). Horse chestnuts are toxic, and especially their seeds, that probably zebras and oryx eat when they fall to the ground. Horse chestnuts are not native in regions where giraffes, zebras and oryx live, so these animals cannot have a species of instinct of avoid this plant. It reminded me a lot when I was in Duisburg zoo last summer and I see a big locust tree (Robinia pseudoacacia) growing in the middle of the giraffe paddock... all part of this tree are poisonous except the flowers, and the seed are very poisonous.
I commented it to a curator, but he just said "Ok".

I suppose that if nothing happened until now during years of keeping the hoofstock here, is that they somehow can be kept safely. But if I was director of this zoo I would had use this space for lions, crocodiles, aviary of small birds or whatever..

Well, that said, now that I know that they're horse chestnuts instead chestnuts, I see that probably the cause of the getting brown and dying foliage have nothing to see with ground compaction... very probably the cause is this: Horse-chestnut leaf miner - Wikipedia
 
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