Tree Sensitive Design

Construction doesn't have to start with block clearance.

A consultation regarding the trees on your block or development site early on in the process can help us establish which trees are of value to you and the environment, and which steps can be taken to ensure they remain viable during demolition and construction.

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The impacts of site development on trees is often overlooked. This is for many reasons, but chiefly it's tied up with the fact that we can't see the roots and therefore don't think about them.

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Some typical causes of harm during development include:

- Soil compaction

- Changes in grade (soil level)

- Severing of roots (courtesy of excavators)

- Pollution (paints, fuels, degradation of building materials)

- Damage to canopy (from extra-judicious hacking to gain access or due to contact from over-size vehicles).

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Each of these impacts have the potential to spell the end of a tree's life, or at least induce major set-backs, but these outcomes often won't be obvious for between 2 and 10 years, due to the fact that trees can operate on stored energy for periods of time, and because decay can have delayed obvious effects on trees.

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With a bit of planning well ahead of the arrival of contractors, we can assess the probability of damage, design a protection programme, and proactively gain clearance for access if it is required. There are also well established construction techniques that can help minimise the impact of a building's footprint on nearby trees.