Q: We excavated a trench for drainage near an oak tree. At the closest point, we are maybe 12 feet from the trunk of the tree. We did not break any roots larger than about 3/4 inch. Will the tree live ...

As the poet Joyce Kilmer wrote, "only God can make a tree." ("Probably because it's so hard to figure out how to get the bark on," added Woody Allen.) But for good growth once a tree is made, it is ...