Trees beautify a landscape and provide additional benefits like shielding the home from strong winds. That is why it is important to take all necessary precautions to limit how much damage the trees sustain when construction work is going on. This article discusses some measures that you can use to protect your trees from construction damage.
Protect the Trees from Traffic
Tree trunks can have their bark torn off by passing heavy construction machinery. The heavy equipment can also compact the soil around a tree, starving that tree of oxygen. One way to prevent all these dangers is by erecting a fence around your trees. You do not have to set up an elaborate permanent fence; you can simply drive stakes into the ground around the trees and then tie wires onto the stakes so that traffic is kept away from the trees. You can then remove the fence once all the construction work has been completed.
Be Careful When Removing Unwanted Trees
You may need to remove some trees in order to avail space for an extension to your home. Exercise a lot of care when removing those unwanted trees. For instance, make sure that falling branches do not hit nearby trees that you wish to retain. You should also plan the tree removal to coincide with a time when the trees have no leaves. This is because the sudden exposure to sunlight (once a nearby tree is removed) can stress the remaining tree that was shaded by the one you have removed.
Make Clean Cuts
You may encounter tree roots as you conduct excavation work on your property. Avoid tearing those roots, because the resultant wounds will take very long to seal. Wounds form an entry point for disease-causing organisms. Clean cuts (such as those made by a pruning saw) heal quickly and limit the likelihood that the roots will rot, causing tree death.
Avoid Trenching If Possible
Trenching cuts through all the roots in the affected area. This stresses the tree, because it will have lost a significant part of the system that delivers moisture and nutrients to the rest of the tree. It is much better to tunnel under the tree. Most roots will be closer to the surface of the soil, so tunneling avoids damaging those roots.
Consult a tree service professional, such as those at Clean Cut Tree Services, so that he or she can help you to design a comprehensive system that will limit the construction damage suffered by your trees.
Share23 October 2015
Seeing a tree die can be sad, especially if it's the only shade tree in your yard, a tree you grew up climbing or a once bountiful fruit tree. However, surprisingly, many trees that people seem to give up on can actually be saved. I hate the idea of anyone losing a tree, so I decided to start a blog. This blog is going to have tips I have learned as a lifelong gardener as well as things I have learned while researching trees and botany in general. I hope you like these posts and that they eventually help you save a few trees!
