There are many reasons to preserve during construction, including legal requirements, aesthetics, property value and ecological benefits. However, in order for a tree to be considered “preserved” it must survive construction and thrive for many years afterward. In order for trees to be preserved, there are five steps that should be followed: 1. Planning Phase The planning phase takes before any site disturbance. Trees and the overall site are assessed so that construction and preservation decisions can be made. Accomplishments during this phase include: Site survey showing all relevant features:
Tree Resource Evaluation
2. Project Design During this phase, initial construction documents are developed, and a tree preservation plan is developed to consider trees based on construction plans. Specific steps during this phase include:
Tree preservation plan components include:
3. Pre-Construction During this phase, the trees and site are prepared for actual construction activities. Accomplishments during this phase include:
4. Construction The construction phase is where actual site disturbance and building construction occur. The construction phase is where physical tree impacts are most likely to happen. Accomplishments during this phase include:
-Root cutting/damage
-Root collar covered by fill soil 5. Post-construction This phase includes the time period after building construction and most site disturbance is complete. Steps to this phase include:
As can be seen, there are many steps to preserving trees during construction. However, the effort is worth it to preserve trees that bring significant benefits to a property. In order for trees to be properly preserved, an arborist must be brought in to a project in the project planning phase. If trees aren’t considered until later phases of construction, it will likely be too late to properly protect them and allow trees to survive and thrive.
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