GRACE TREE ADVERT: Construction impact: Part IV

Last week we talked about the importance of laying out a basic and common sense Tree Preservation Plan prior to any construction.

This may take a meeting with everyone involved or just the general contractor who will inform all the subs and have oversite. A layout as to where trucks and equipment will be entering, and exiting are good beginning points. Note any pruning that should take place prior to avoid oversized loads, trucks and equipment that may break branches. Isolate individual trees and groupings with orange construction fencing that you want equipment to avoid and material from being parked and stacked near.

Fencing off trees out to near their drip line is recommended. If production and access is greatly hampered by this, at least stake out 6-8 feet from the trunk to avoid equipment from hitting the trunk and place 6-8 inches of wood chips down on the area of the root plate that will not have the fencing.

Soil compaction from trucks and equipment on a construction site is one of the top reasons for decline in trees and the chips will help lessen this impact. Designate where the construction crew is allowed to park their person vehicles, where materials will be placed and where concrete trucks can perform their washout. If the project is going to be a long one, consider fertilizing the trees ahead of time and make sure water will be available throughout the project to water the trees.

One of the overlooked, as well as damaging impacts many contractors miss is equipment exhaust. The fencing should lower the risk of damage by keeping equipment away from trees crowns, but it is worth stating as I see this so frequently. Hot and toxic fumes can burn and kill foliage in just a few short minutes. For this reason, it is good to identify where exhaust is on equipment and keep an eye on it during operation. (We have experienced this firsthand by killing shrubs with stump grinder exhaust in under 5 minutes.)

There can be much more put into a Tree Preservation Plan, but these are the basics and ones that most contractors and subs are able to get on board with. Too much more and it can be counterproductive, difficult to get by-in from everyone and cost prohibitive in my experience.

As always, for further questions, quotes and consultations, give us a call today, 208-762-5800!

For more information on Grace Tree Service, check out our website at gracetreeservice.com.