The trees on a property help define the character of the home. Mature trees add beauty, lower cooling costs, increases the curb appeal and property values. Some Oak trees may be more than 100 years old. These trees must be carefully preserved during construction or they could die or even fall on the house. Constructing a single family home or a housing development requires an understanding of how to mitigate tree damage during construction. The roots of a tree typically extend out to the outer diameter of the overhead canopy. These are often damaged by construction. If foundations or utilities are excavated too close to a tree, the roots will be broken off and the tree may become weakened and die. Heavy traffic over a root zone or stockpiling soil or materials will compress the soil in the root zone, also hurting the tree.
The first step in developing a tree preservation plan is to accurately locate the trees, so that their locations can be compared to the footprint of the proposed development. This is done in the topographic survey stage. Then the trees are identified by species and condition. The size of the trees is measured by recording their DBH or “diameter at breast height”. Bono Consulting has a full-time licensed arborist on our staff. After the trees are located, measured and identified they are overlaid on the proposed footprint and a determination is made on which trees to protect and which trees to eliminate. In some situations the houses are moved or altered to help preserve a tree.
Trees can be protected by using root pruning, tree protection fencing, tree banding and bridging over the root zones.
Bono Consulting has prepared Tree Preservation / Tree Protection plans for 1000’s of sites.
Site Design Engineering Chicago | Civil Engineering Residential Chicago
Site Design Engineering | Civil Engineering Residential