These holes give me a sinking feeling...

[elkaholic]

Tree guy said it would probably take a sustained 40+mph wind during full canopy after a week of rain to bring it down. Provided the ground isn't toast. I still feel much better about it. Lots of large, deep anchor roots. He said the holes look as if they've been there awhile since he saw some new root growth mixed in with the old.

That is good to hear ... ought to give you some peace of mind that the threat to the house from the tree is minimal at the moment.

 

[JohnVee]

Holes are marked with orange flags.
From the bottom of my front steps looking uphill.

Same position but looking downhill.

From driveway looking downhill.

 

[JohnVee]

It's harder than I thought to get a picture of a hole. Yes, I know there are plenty of great jokes there.

Starting at uphill end - Hole #1 is about 10" deep. Here is the spread inside of it...

Hole #2. Note the depth...

...and the spread.

Hole #3 right at the tree (created by Brysen's leg while blowing leaves. Wish I'd seen it happen!)...

 

[elkaholic]

I think the subject needs a NSFW heading now

Holes 1 & 2 look like animal excavation activities Hole 3 ... wow ... lucky Brysen was not hurt in that one ....

 

[JohnVee]

I feel a lot better for now knowing that a certified arborist isn't very concerned about the tree. I still worry that the top 12" of my entire lawn will give way and the tree will fall, but nothing like the last couple days. I'll wait and see what the city has to say about the water utility.

@angerhater It's possible that an old stump line has rotted away, but that wouldn't account for the opening at the tree, would it? That's the only reason so far that I'd discount that idea.

Time to get some rebar and a sledge and start poking holes.

 

[JohnVee]

Keep in mind that all of these openings were only created when somebody's foot fell through the ground. i guess I can always start opening them up more to see where it takes me.

 

[elkaholic]

Actually, if that tree is an old stump sprout (and from the form of it, it looks like it might be), then yes, a line of stumps that have finally rotted (or an old windrow that has finally fully rotted) could explain what you are seeing.

Coming from a trained, but not practicing, forester ....

 

[JohnVee]

Actually, if that tree is an old stump sprout (and from the form of it, it looks like it might be), then yes, a line of stumps that have finally rotted (or an old windrow that has finally fully rotted) could explain what you are seeing.

Coming from a trained, but not practicing, forester ....

I'll have to look up stump sprout.

 

[elkaholic]

When a hardwood tree is cut down, it very often grows anew (or sprouts) from the stump. In fact, this is a significant method of reforesting hardwood stands (called coppice regeneration) ...

 

[micruz60]

Holey moley.
My comment regarding homeowners insurance, is to verify coverage in the event of the tree falling into the house.
Those are some deep and long runs... Can you trap one of these rodents?
A 'solution' might be to mix up some concrete slurry, with minimal aggregate and pour into the holes... not to the top, but say 6" below grade, backfill with topsoil.

 

[TXLX100]

Is there anyway the holes are drainage related? I'm sure the drainage situation isn't improving now that they are there. We had a sinking ground/hole issue at our family lake house. The elevation from the front to the back of the property changed pretty quick, with soft, sandy soil. I started poking around and basically determined there were some underground drainage paths that had washed out some soil. I ended up filing in with about a yard of compacted clay soil.

 

[JohnVee]

Is there anyway the holes are drainage related?...... I ended up filing in with about a yard of compacted clay soil.

I'll have to start poking in my neighbor's yard for entry points to check this out. Either way, water can get in a bit easier now.

 

[JohnVee]

So the city guy came by yesterday evening just before dark. He was armed with a bunch of maps and plots. Looked around and said it wasn't the water main, sewer or runoff line based on the way they run. Didn't seem too happy to have me question that, either. Never got a good explanation of how he could tell so quickly. He said they're not sinkholes but could be someday. His best suggestion was to get the utilities marked and compare their layout to the hole line. I had already called for that, but I can't recall ever seeing any running that direction. In all, he didn't seem to think I should be too concerned as long as the tree guy wasn't.

He said, based on what he's seen before, that a critter caused my issues, but not moles. He was all into the groundhog/muskrat thing. Also suggested that I should grab a shovel and start digging to see where it leads me or just fill it up with cement mix. I think the shovel is in my near future. Good thing (kind of) it's gonna be rainy and mild this week. Just waiting on the utility markings.

 

[TXLX100]

So the city guy came by yesterday evening just before dark. He was armed with a bunch of maps and plots. Looked around and said it wasn't the water main, sewer or runoff line based on the way they run. Didn't seem too happy to have me question that, either. Never got a good explanation of how he could tell so quickly. He said they're not sinkholes but could be someday. His best suggestion was to get the utilities marked and compare their layout to the hole line. I had already called for that, but I can't recall ever seeing any running that direction. In all, he didn't seem to think I should be too concerned as long as the tree guy wasn't.

He said, based on what he's seen before, that a critter caused my issues, but not moles. He was all into the groundhog/muskrat thing. Also suggested that I should grab a shovel and start digging to see where it leads me or just fill it up with cement mix. I think the shovel is in my near future. Good thing (kind of) it's gonna be rainy and mild this week. Just waiting on the utility markings.

I think you mentioned it, but a long piece of rebar worked for me. I just walked around driving it into the ground until I got a feel of where all the hollow spots were and then devised a plan to fill it all. Maybe you could setup one of those motion activated game cameras to confirm if it's a ground rodent. Can you trap those things?

 

[blkprj80]

I use Giant Destroyer Super Gasser.
It's a smoke bomb that you drop in the hole.
I have really good luck using the blowing side of the shop vac to push it through the maze.
You will likely discover many holes you didn't know were there. My yard looked like a war zone!
After you blow for a while, cover the hole(s) with bricks. Be sure not to blow fresh air in behind the gas or they may live.
Good luck with them. I have a killer outbreak of voles this year. The dog must be getting lazy...

 

[D'Animal]

We get rid of our evasive rodents in the pastures using 15 minute road flairs.
Drop a flair in the hole and cover it up. Check for smoke coming out of another hole, if it does, cover it up.
Keep burying lit flairs until you have everything taken care of.

You will see smoke coming out of the ground. Tamp it down with shovel handle. You may find a pattern or maybe even an old abandoned terra cotta style sewer/drainage line that is not on any map.

 

[Redgrrr]

That's not a PETA approved method.
Think about the rodents.

 

[sggoat]

So the city guy came by yesterday evening just before dark. He was armed with a bunch of maps and plots. Looked around and said it wasn't the water main, sewer or runoff line based on the way they run. Didn't seem too happy to have me question that, either. Never got a good explanation of how he could tell so quickly. He said they're not sinkholes but could be someday. His best suggestion was to get the utilities marked and compare their layout to the hole line. I had already called for that, but I can't recall ever seeing any running that direction. In all, he didn't seem to think I should be too concerned as long as the tree guy wasn't.

He said, based on what he's seen before, that a critter caused my issues, but not moles. He was all into the groundhog/muskrat thing. Also suggested that I should grab a shovel and start digging to see where it leads me or just fill it up with cement mix. I think the shovel is in my near future. Good thing (kind of) it's gonna be rainy and mild this week. Just waiting on the utility markings.

I don't believe the guy. I have never seen such smooth holes done by a critter-they are usually pretty ragged. I vote utilities problem. When critters tunnel through dirt the dirt has to move somewhere to displace the critter. It will go UP. If it's a critter, you will see mounds where they have displaced the dirt. On the other hand, if it's like, water, the hole will sink, as water will 'wash' the dirt, and tend to make it sink(the water is more dense than the soil)
Has your water bill increased lately?

 

[Burt88]

Aliens

 

[elkaholic]

Maybe the creatures from Tremors. I've got a .375 and a few 300gr. solids you can use John.