Tree Protection During And After Construction

Construction projects can cause damage to your beautiful trees, so it’s essential that trees be considered throughout the entire process. Planning a construction project is an extensive process, so trees may not be high on your priorities list. However, neglecting to consider the surrounding trees on a construction site can cause issues down the line and could permanently damage the trees and cause problems to your newly constructed project. After building a new home or making structural renovations, the last thing you want is for a weakened tree to cause damage to it.

How can construction cause damage to trees?

If not cautious, construction can easily cause stress and long-term damage to trees.

Damaged tree branches and tree trunks

During construction, big machinery can easily strike a tree branch, either damaging the bark or breaking off the branch completely. Although it may seem minor, broken bark and open wounds from tree branches breaking off can result in pest infestation and disease, causing a stressed tree that is vulnerable to further damage. If one of your trees experiences damage like this during construction, you should have a professional arborist come look at it and create a treatment plan to save your tree and avoid future damage.

Tree root damage

Tree roots reach out much farther than the trunk, so there is a much larger area where they are vulnerable to damage. Damage can occur during processes like excavating or grading and can result in a severed root. The addition of driveways or sidewalks can also be damaging to tree roots if placed too close to the tree. When tree roots are covered by concrete, they can be damaged from digging, or from the lack of oxygen and water caused by concrete covering the roots.

Soil damage

Construction activities cause the soil to become compacted, which affects the health and growth of a tree in that area. When soil is compacted, it becomes too dense for root and oxygen movement and limits the availability of water and other important elements that promote growth. For this reason, soil compaction can be one of the biggest challenges that trees face during construction, and significantly reduce the level at which a tree is able to grow.

How to prevent damage from construction

It’s important for trees to be considered in all steps of construction, not just during the construction activities. In fact, the planning phase can be just as important if not more important, because it’s when the protection plan is created. Without consideration in the pre-construction phase, trees may be overlooked during construction activity.

Planning for tree protection

During the planning process, consult with a professional about the best trees to be chosen for preservation. If there are trees that are already under stress or are not likely to make it through the preservation process, spending time and money planning your project around these trees may not be the best use. Rather, you should consult with a professional to make a plan around trees that can withstand construction activity. Oftentimes, these trees are younger and can adapt to the construction environment around them easier than mature trees. It’s also critical that the trees being selected for preservation are healthy before the project begins. Regular treatments such as deadwood removal and pruning can help with this, as can ensuring that they are getting enough water.

The location of the trees to be preserved is very important. These trees need to be compatible with the finished landscape and should not be blocking a view or too close to a building, road, or driveway. Being aware of the preserved trees throughout the entire planning process can create fewer problems in the future caused by poor planning, and allow you and your team to come up with small changes early on to accommodate the trees.

Preventing damage during construction

Construction activity can very easily lead to tree damage and stress if measures are not taken to protect your trees throughout. There are a few things you can do to mitigate the impact of construction activity on your trees.

Create barriers: Setting up construction fences around each tree, or group of trees, that you plan to preserve can help protect the tree roots from the weight of equipment, and trunks and branches from getting cut or broken. This barrier should extend past the drip line of the tree in order to effectively prevent damage. It should be established early on that no construction materials or activities should take place within the fenced area.
Assign access routes: Construction vehicles and machines are very heavy and can have an impact on the ground levels and the roots of nearby trees. It’s a good idea to limit these vehicles to one route, and create a designated area for the vehicles and equipment to park so the impact can be minimized to one section.
Spread mulch on the soil surface: Soil compaction is one of the ways that trees go into stress from construction. One way to reduce compaction is to spread a layer of mulch on the surface around the tree. Doing this helps disburse the weight of equipment to protect the tree roots and soil.

Tree Care After Construction

Even with precautions put in place, trees can still become injured during construction. If the tree is scraped by equipment, you should have all deadwood and damaged branches removed. This type of damage can lead to further disease and pests, putting the tree under stress. Getting ahead of the problem and having deadwood removal and pruning services done shortly after is critical.

You should also be watching for pests, as this happens when a tree is stressed. If you notice pests in your trees after construction, services such as tree injections can be a very effective way to treat the tree. It’s very common for trees to experience stress during construction, which attracts pests. So, even if you do not notice pests, it’s still a good idea to take preventative measures. Crown thinning, which reduces the foliage in the crowns of your trees to eliminate space for pests to thrive is one preventative service post-construction.

Investing in the care of your trees after construction can save you from expensive damage down the line. If you would like to have a professional arborist evaluate your tree’s health, or damage from construction, schedule a no-cost consultation online or with one of our field representatives to have one of our local arborists consult with you on the best way to proceed.