Glossary term
What is Critical root zone?
Short answer
Critical root zone is the area around a trunk that holds the roots a tree needs to stay healthy and stable.
Critical root zone, explained for tree service owners
The critical root zone, often shortened to CRZ, is the ground area around a tree where digging or heavy traffic could badly hurt it. A common rule of thumb is to take one foot of radius for each inch of trunk diameter, though local rules and tree species can change the number. For a tree service owner, the CRZ matters when a customer plans a driveway, a pool, a trench or a building near a tree you want to keep. It lets you give a clear answer on how close work can safely get. Our critical root zone calculator gives a starting point, and a local arborist should confirm it on the site.
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