Question
My neighbor plans to excavate his property to erect a new house and garage.    I have a couple of large old shade trees approximately 5 feet from where he plans to excavate for the garage.  Should I be concerned about the excavation killing my trees?

Answer
If the digging extends under the limbs of the tree the roots will be damaged and there will be at least some die back of the foliage next year from the roots loss. The roots will extend 1 1/2 times the length of the branches and if digging in with in the dripline of the tree's branches the tree will suffer damage. Unless the trees are small the five feet will be too close.