Question
Hi Jim, I have a Japanese maple tree that is probably more than 20 years old and is about 20-25 feet tall in me backyard. Its roots have pushed a section of my concrete patio up more than 2". I plan to remove this section of concrete and tile the entire patio. My question is, will this tree continue to grow and destroy my new floor or do they stop growing after certain age?

Thanks,
BC from California

Answer
Trees are living things and as they grow they need more water and food and the way they get these is from the roots. As the tree grows and puts on more foliage the root system will grow also. But sounds like it took 20 years for the tree to move the concrete about 2 inches so if you add 3-4 inches of soil to cover the roots near the surface and then re- pave the patio it may take 15-20 more years to see more lifting. Depending on how close the tree is to the area you could trench along the edge of the patio and install roots barriers to stop the roots from going under the patio. You can cut up to about 25% of a trees roots without damaging it.
Hard question to answer without seeing the situation. I would suggest you contact a local Certified Arborist and ask their assistance. Here is a web link to the Association that certifies Arborist and they gave a list of names of local contacts.
   http://www.isa-arbor.com/findArborist/findarborist.aspx