Pine Trees Buried by 18 Inches of Fill Soil: Start Over

Fill Soil = Death Sentence

Two 10-ft pines now sit in an 18-inch-deep hole because the yard grade was raised. The lower branches will be buried. The owner asks if they can just cut the low limbs, or use a tree spade to lift them.

Why Neither Works

• Fill soil over roots >4 inches suffocates roots—18 inches guarantees death.
• Tree spades work poorly on pines this size; survival rate is very low.
• Cutting low branches doesn't fix the buried root zone.

Recommendation

Remove the pines and plant new ones at the correct grade. It's faster, cheaper, and far more likely to succeed.