Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: Surface roots on drake elm, 2 by Feebysowner

Feebysowner wrote:
OK - did some more digging. What a mess! In trying to determine where exactly some of these roots actually originate - and whether they ultimately extend outward (resulting from better growth after the tree was planted) is causing me to lose a lot of tinier roots. Many of them are surface and some are growing over others. How much of these smaller roots can I afford to get rid of in order to see more deeply about the girdling roots?

From what I see so far, the nursery may have done a good job in planting the tree in order to allow the roots to grow outward, but it sure seems obvious to me that this tree was in that 65 gallon container too long, or not properly handled when it was moved to that container. See 3 new pics. I am not too sure about how many \"good\" bigger roots there are, but there seems to be a few from what I\'ve dug up so far.

Any more advice on how to proceed? I feel like I have to get rid of a bunch of the tinier roots to get a better view of the larger ones that are partially (or entirely, I can\'t tell) encircling the trunk. Thanks!