Care, planning can save trees on construction sites

The scene is played out thousands of times every year: A couple selects a lot with mature trees on which to build their dream home, and they pay a premium for this lot because of the trees.

The home is now complete, they have moved in, and now the trees are dying. The trees have a characteristic symptom called "crown die-back" the staghorn look of the dead upper branches and twigs sticking up through the leafy canopy of the tree. If these symptoms are widespread in the yard of a recently constructed home, it can be safely assumed that the damage to the trees was due to construction activity.

Damage is irreversible

The construction process can damage trees in many ways: tree trunks can be scuffed and scraped, roots can be cut during excavation, entire root systems can be smothered by excessive fill or the continual movement of heavy equipment over the critical root zone of the tree. Sometimes even the changes to water flow through a property can impact the life of a tree.

Construction damage is often irreversible. The reality of the situation is that the trees probably can't be saved and they certainly can't be replaced in the homeowner's lifetime.

Prevention is key

Construction damage to trees can, however, be prevented. The first step is to decide, based on the species and condition of the existing trees, which trees should be preserved. The placement of the house and other structures can then be decided with the most valuable trees in mind.

Next, barrier fencing should be installed around the drip line of the trees that are to be preserved, or even further away from the base of the tree if possible. The drip line is an imaginary circle formed by the outermost edges of the canopy of the tree. No driving, parking, piling, filling or other disruption of the soil inside the drip line should be allowed. Wood chips or mulch should be spread over critical areas that are impossible to fence off.

Frankly, protecting trees from construction damage complicates the building process. Barrier fencing, restricted ingress and egress, altered plans, retaining walls, educating and informing subcontractors all these steps take time and cost money. Communication of the steps needed to preserve valuable trees is critical.

Homeowners will frequently tell arborists to do "whatever it takes" to save a damaged tree. If this is the case, then an educated homeowner also will do "whatever it takes" to prevent damage in the first place.

Tree-care specialist

If an arborist is to get involved, it should be at the beginning, before the site plan is started. Certainly before the first bulldozer, backhoe or trencher shows up on the property.

An arborist can help select the weak, sick and undesirable species on the front end. He or she can help develop a tree preservation plan to protect the remaining trees on the site.

This step will make sense to the homeowner: Builders hire electricians, architects and engineers because a builder can't specialize in every phase of construction. Retaining an arborist is simply a way to ensure that existing trees on the site are protected.

Tree preservation is a win-win situation. The homeowner won't have to pay three times for the trees once when they buy the property, once when they have to remove the trees, and once again when they have to plant replacements.

Homeowners will see their builder as progressive, competent and environmentally conscientious. The homeowner will be happy, the builder will prosper, and the trees will live.