Protecting Trees on a Construction Site

It used to be that when a construction zone was set aside for a home building project, the surrounding trees were not generally considered.

Simply getting heavy trucks of materials around or underneath the trees was the extent of any concern. We know better. So does Loren Wood Builders, LLC.

Heavy truck traffic compacts the soil so much that tree roots underneath get crushed. The decay from that damage will then travel up through the root system into the tree, drastically affecting the tree’s health and lifespan.

The remedy in this recent project comes from our partner, Seth Inman, Certified Arborist at Trees PLE, Inc. A Tree Protection Zone is established to minimize risk of tree damage and decline during and after construction.

An air knife is used to safely expose roots around the zone. Clean, surgical cuts are made to the appropriate surface and deep roots, effectively removing areas that will suffer the most crushing damage. Proper use of humectants, organic soil conditioners, Bluestone Organic compost, and tree growth regulators are used to reduce as much stress to the tree(s) as possible.

Tree health is the ultimate goal for us. Removal is the last resort, so protecting them on construction sites is very important. Without these methods, the trees would be much more susceptible to disease, decline and untimely death.