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Protect trees and roots during construction

Tags: New construction, Landscaping--general, Landscaping, Site feature protections, cold, dry, hot_humid, marine, mixed_humid, Tree Grates and Guards

On a building site, trees and especially their roots can get damaged. We should care because trees rely on the soil for water, nutrients, and respiration. Obvious problems include lowering the grade within the drip line (the area beneath the outermost branches), toxic fluids, or a direct hit from heavy equipment. Less obvious, though, is unintentional damage caused by soil compaction from vehicle traffic. Root suffocation from added fill or stored materials within the drip line also is a problem.

To protect tree roots from soil compaction, install a fence beyond the drip line. Or, install a large-diameter well for changes in grade. If vehicles must drive over tree roots, cover them with 3-in. to 4-in. of wood chips, wooden planks, or sheets of plywood. Properly protecting trees can be expensive. But, mature trees can increase property values, shade trees reduce cooling loads, and last, but not least, they provide important wildlife habitats. Consult an arborist for more information.

GREEN POINTS

LEED for HomesLeadership in Energy and Environmental Design. LEED for Homes is the residential green building program from the United States Green Building Council (USGBC). While this program is primarily designed for and applicable to new home projects, major gut rehabs can qualify. Anything you do outdoors will generally give you greater bang for "green buck" than anything you do in the structure. This is also true with LEED-H. The easiest to earn are often those related to landscape. These include SS2 (Sustainable Sites) — up to 7 points, SS3 — 1 point, SS4 — up to 7 points, and WE2 (Water Efficiency) — up to 4 points. Up to 4 Innovation points can be earned for exemplary performance with regard to these credits.

NGBSNational Green Building Standard Based on the NAHB Model Green Home Building Guidelines and passed through ANSI. This standard can be applied to both new homes, remodeling projects, and additions. /ICC-700: Under Chapter 4 - Site Design and Development: 4 pts. for On-site supervision and coordination (404.1); 4 pts. for installing fencing to protect trees and other plants (404.2.1); 4 pts. for avoiding soil compaction, trenching, and significant grade changes near critical root zones (404.2.2); 5 pts. for staking out limits to clearing and grading areas prior to construction (404.3.1); 4 pts. for creating "no disturbance" zones with fencing or flagging to protect sensitive areas from vehicles, material storage and washout (404.3.2}; 4 pts. for reducing soil compaction from construction equipment. Placing lightweight geogrids, mulch, chipped wood, plywood, OSB (oriented strand board), metal plates, etc. in the pathway of the equipment distributes its weight over a larger area. (404.3.5)