The Lakes has some of the most established gardens in Dubai, and some of the largest damas specimens we deal with. What began as a neat screening hedge is now, in many villas, a substantial tree with a root plate to match — sitting close to pools, lakeside irrigation and mature planting.
Why damas is a problem in The Lakes
- Very mature specimens: after this long, the root system is wide and deep, and partial removal simply will not work
- The lakes and the heavily irrigated communal landscaping keep moisture in the ground year-round, which encourages roots to spread rather than stay put
- Established gardens mean damas roots are now tangled through the roots of trees and shrubs you actually want to keep
- Pools and water features are common, and both are magnets for the roots
Extraction here needs care: we work around the planting you want to keep, and lift the damas roots out without wrecking the rest of a garden that took years to establish.
The damage damas does
Damas (Conocarpus) roots actively grow towards moisture. In a villa that means they head for your drains, your water lines and your pool. Once inside a pipe they keep growing, deform it and block it. Damas seeds and seedlings are now banned in the UAE for exactly this reason — the background is in our guide to why the damas tree is banned.
- Blocked and broken water and sewage pipes
- Cracked, bulging or toppled boundary walls
- Damage to pool shells, paving and villa foundations
- A rising DEWA bill from a leak you cannot see
- Pollen and allergy complaints, and weakened plants nearby
Warning signs in your The Lakes villa
- Your water bill has climbed with no change in how much you use
- Damp ground, or water pooling near the tree or a wall
- Drains that block repeatedly
- A boundary wall that is leaning, bulging or cracking
- Lifted paving, interlock or pool decking
- Surface roots heading towards the villa
Cutting the trunk will not fix it
This is the mistake that costs people twice. Fell the tree and leave the roots, and the root system stays alive, regrows and carries on damaging your pipes. A damas is only gone when the roots are out of the ground.
How we remove damas in The Lakes
- Free site survey — we assess the tree, the access, and what is buried near it: water lines, drainage, pool shell, wall footings
- Safe, controlled felling — dismantled in sections where it is tight against a wall, pool or villa
- Full root and stump extraction — the whole root system, so it cannot regrow
- Damage check — we inspect the pipework, wall footings and paving the roots reached
- Backfill and reinstate — soil replaced, ground levelled, site left clean
- Replanting — optional, with a species that will not repeat the problem
What to plant instead
You can keep your privacy without the destruction. Depending on the spot we would suggest ficus hedging set safely back from services, bougainvillea along a wall, or a native ghaf or sidr where there is room. Our soft landscaping team replants once the damas is out. Before you choose, it is worth reading banned and restricted trees in the UAE — and note that ghaf is a protected species you must never remove without permission.
Damas removal cost in The Lakes
It depends on the size of the tree or the length of the hedge, how close it is to walls, pools and pipework, and how much root extraction is involved. We will not quote you a number over the phone and then change it on the day — we come out, look at it, and give you a fixed price. The site visit is free.
Book damas tree removal in The Lakes
Call +971 50 495 4437, message us on WhatsApp, or request a free site visit. See our full damas tree removal service, our wider tree services, and everything we do in The Lakes. We cover every area of Dubai.