elderberry trees, planted by local council
By Dogmess
United Kingdom 
what is the life span of a elderberry tree, these trees were planted by the council roughly 24 yeary ago, they have never been touched, or maintained, most of them seem to be dead, as they are packed tightly amongst other trees, mostly hawthorn trees. as they are close to our houses, the problem is will they fall down,these elders are 6 to 8 meters high, do they also cause a threat to the drains and my foundations, i do have some cracks in the side wall of my house, which seem to be getting bigger, the trees are roughly 5 meters away?.
12 Sep, 2008
Answers
Wouldn t have thought elderberry responsible as 5 metres away is a reasonable distance.Are the cracks in your wall following the mortar joints or through the brick? The latter is more serious as a sign of subsidence - clearly Spritz advice the most appropriate.
12 Sep, 2008
We have had the same trouble as yourself with a Sumac tree`s roots and suckers. Now an Elderberry tree planted as soon as the Smac was distroyed April 3rd this year. We have applied to the court for an injunction to be placed on it plus other trees and 13 sets of wind chimes removed ASAP. I We have an x council house but the neighbours are still council. We are hoping to set a precedent. Hope we are successful. Keep your eye on this space.
8 Oct, 2009
Previous question
If they are dead, then I suppose that in a high wind they could fall. The way to tell how far the roots will be spread out is to look at the tree canopies - the roots will be about the same. That will give you an indication of where they are going. You could also dig a trench near the house to see if there are any roots there. As far as the cracks in your wall are concerned, I really think that you need a professional opinion. Check with the Council first, if they planted the trees, they may send one of their surveyors out to take a look.
12 Sep, 2008