One of the less obvious roles of an Arborist is being an advocate for trees.
Folks out there tend to maybe have some grasp of the work done by Tree Specialists in terms of tree removal, pruning, and planting, but they perhaps don’t consider how part of Arboriculture is protecting trees.
Like just about anything important in life, the Arborist’s role as an advocate for trees and forests involves communication and compromise with people who can have conflicting interests.
It would not be fair to say that people working in construction universally have no regard for trees, but it does seem much more fair to say that they are coming from a differing perspective than Arborists.
The reality is that major construction projects almost always lead to some trees being damaged. In the interest of helping arborists with harm reduction and treatment, we have put together a guide on a few strategies to help trees before a construction project, during a construction project, and how to treat damaged trees once a project is done.
Prevention
One piece of really awesome news is that communication between arborists and developers is becoming more common every year.
If possible, prior to a big project, meet with a landscape architect to collaborate on a map of the property.
Some of the issues at stake are protecting the roots of trees, prevention soil from being compacted, advising against adding new soil that will suffocate roots, and preventing damage to the trunk and branches of trees.
Common Hazards To Trees During Construction Projects:
- Overpacking Soil
- Damage To Branches
- Damage To Tree Roots
- Damage To Tree Trunk
- New Soil Suffocating Roots
At this stage, you will need to work on balancing priorities. You will want to focus on protecting healthy trees and maintaining a diversity of trees whenever possible.
Telling contractors what you want is not going to be enough though. You are going to need written agreements which will include fines and other penalties for breaking these agreements. The penalties should be proportional to damages done and should be higher for multiple violations.
4 Ways To Prevent Tree Damage Before A Project Begins:
- Use Barriers Of Mulch To Protect Against Soil Compaction
- Put All Agreements In Writing With Built In Penalties & Fines For Violations
- Construct Fences & Other Barriers Around Protected Trees To Create A Tree Protection Zone
- Allow Limited Access Routes On & Off Of Property - Giving Only One Access Route In & Out When Possible
Avoiding Damage During Construction
It would be nice to think that once all preventative measures were put into place at the start of a project that you could just sit back and expect everyone to follow the terms agreed upon. Unfortunately, that often is simply not the case.
Once a project is underway, sometimes you really need to put people’s feet to the fire so to speak.
Construction projects require a lot of continued vigilance. Remember those penalties put into place for violations of agreements? They won’t have much meaning if it seems like they won’t actually be enforced.
Things will also get more complicated when subcontractors get involved in the project. In some cases, they may not be aware of the agreements made to protect the trees on the property. In other cases, they may be aware of the agreements but have less interest in following them. In any case, they will need to be monitored once they are involved.
Documentation is a very key part of protecting trees once the project is underway. This will involve documenting the state of the trees as construction progresses, and especially documenting any violations of the agreements made.
4 Ways To Prevent Tree Damage During A Construction Project
- Visiting The Site Frequently
- Communicating With Subcontractors
- Documenting The State Of Trees As Construction Progresses
- Documenting & Reporting Any Infractions & Violations On The Site
Post-Construction Treatment Of Damage To Trees
You know what they say about the best-laid plans of man?
No matter how well you plan to prevent damages to trees on a construction site, things happen that are beyond your control.
There are a few practices that used to be seen as beneficial to trees that in recent years arborists have found out were not effective and may even damage trees.
Practices That Are No Longer Considered Useful:
- Wound Dressing
- Thinning Canopies
- Excessive Use Of Cables & Braces
- Adding Synthetic Fertilizer (Especially With A Year Of Damages)
After inspecting damages on trees, there are a number of ways that you may end up treating them. Conservative pruning of branches that are damaged and treating wounds to the bark and trunk of the tree are perhaps the most common ways that a tree may be treated after construction is completed.
4 Ways To Treat Trees After Construction:
- Clearing Soil Compaction
- Pruning Damaged Branches
- Providing Irrigation As Necessary
- Lightly Cutting Away Jagged Edges On Bark
Closing Thoughts
Beyond just tree removal and cosmetic changes to trees, Arborists are responsible for the heavy task of protecting trees. Arboriculture calls for Tree Specialists to act as advocates for trees, plants, and nature in general.
Above all, the key to protecting trees in construction areas is in communicating with contractors and subcontractors clearly. In some cases, this process involves picking your battles and coming to compromises, but the goal should be to minimize damages to trees.
