Dura Heat River Birch near septic tank?

Hi Permies!

First time poster here, seeking advice about screening tree selection!

I live in MA, zone 5B, and need to create some screening between my house and my neighbors. We want screening as quickly as possible, but of course expect to wait for things to grow in. We’re looking for a tree that reaches at least 30’, as our neighbors are slightly uphill. The place I need to plant is often very wet in spring (some standing water and squishyness right now, for example), but does dry out mid-summer. We’ve had drought the past several summers.

All of these conditions have led me to the dura-heat river birch, which is a smaller river birch, topping out around 30-40’. The issue is that the area we want to plant ranges from about 45’-100’ from our septic tank. The leach field is further the other direction—100’ + from the planting area in question. The septic tank is older, a concrete tank from 90’s, and was recently inspected and deemed to be in perfect condition with no evidence of cracking or leaking. Is it foolish to plant dura heat river birch this close to our tank? Are we asking for problems? Any other tree suggestions? The “messiness” of the river birch is fine with us, as it’s an area we are planning let re-wild and fill in.

TIA.

https://shop.arborday.org/dura-heat-river-birch?utm_source=google&utm_medium=paid-search&utm_campaign=03416-nursery&utm_term=&utm_content=2021-treenursery-dynamic&gad_source=1&gad_campaignid=1301130&gbraid=0AAAAAD_pTIp0i0YrZTEYPs82L3PYWnlUG&gclid=Cj0KCQjwoZbBBhDCARIsAOqMEZUDQY9SGoPrXY2LlRIwe1HyWVEvCt5vTUp2KzYgXCX9ntwLmUiCWLYaAkLFEALw_wcB

Where is the leach field located?

Hi Robert! The leach field is about 100' in the opposite direction of where we'd like to plant the screening trees. I marked it on the picture, but am realizing that I used a teeny tiny font.

I can't say I have a solution, but I understand the problem -- how to solve the privacy problem without causing a cascade of other problems that could be very expensive down the road. Luck!

Is the house in the photo yours, or the neighbours'?

I don't know if this is accurate info, so I'll bump this thread with it and see if anyone else knows. I have always heard the root pattern spread of a tree is generally about the same size as the leaf canopy spread.
So, if that's accurate, you are far enough off the septic.
If birches are known to reach far for water and there's no other water but your septic, that might not be good.
Hopefully someone will know if I'm accurate :D
Welcome to permies, awesome first posts!  :D

I have read more recent research which suggests roots go much farther than we thought. Yes, part of that is whether the group of trees needs something they can't reach. Mycelium networks are really important for that. Investigating what sort of mushrooms play nice with Birch may help them.

Are Birch a type of tree that tends to grow in clumps? Planting some nitrogen fixing trees or shrubs on the opposite side of the line of Birch may encourage their roots in the opposite direction.

Do you have an aesthetic reason for wanting all the same tree, or would you consider some of the ideas of the Miyawaki Forest system. Are Birch trees native to your region? (even if it's a different species of birch)

Checking for typical height on what you plant is a good idea. We have a lot of cedars and Doug Firs that grow above 75ft, and we loose a lot of sunshine!

I would also consider the average age span of the Birch. Planting some fast growing short lived trees and some slower growing longer lived trees, might also be helpful.

Hi Phil! The house in the photo is my neighbor's...photo taken out my kitchen window.

Thanks, Pearl!

Jay, I like this thinking. I have many young native trees and shrubs that I have been collecting and propagating (serviceberry, eastern redbud, several types of dogwood, fringe tree, hornbeam, and viburnum to name a few), and I like the idea of doing a Miyawaki grove. River birch do like to grow together, I love the idea of a copse of birch trees, and I have many, many saplings, but perhaps Miyawaki would grow screening in just as fast as birch. Do you have any favorite Miyawaki resources? Recall seeing any info out there about siting a Miyawaki forest with a septic tank in proximity?

I will also look into birch's preferred mycelium, and like the idea of co-planting so as to encourage roots away from the tank.

I've also considered installing a root barrier. Does anybody have experience with that?

TIA!

Personally, I would be cautious. Jay Angler has a good point.  In my current location (sand/silt on a hill) I find that some trees can send out feeder roots to a distance equivalent to their height -- especially if they sniff out a reliable source of water and nutrients. For a mature tree, that's a long way.