How to Save Trees During Construction

Whether you live in an urban or rural community, your trees can suffer damage from various disturbances around their root systems. Disturbances such as soil compaction, cutting the tree's roots, or wounding the tree's bark will affect the health of a tree and can often lead to the tree's death.

These disturbances most often occur as a result of construction. You can help ensure the vitality of your community's trees by understanding the causes of these disturbances and encouraging construction workers to keep equipment away from trees.

Soil compaction occurs when equipment is driven or parked on a tree's root system. Once soil is compacted the tree cannot take up water or oxygen and the tree dies. Symptoms of soil compaction include:

You can help discourage soil compaction by installing fencing around trees to keep equipment away, or by making a bridge over root systems by placing steel plates over railroad ties, or by placing a temporary woodchip mulch in the tree's critical root zone. Measure the critical root zone by using the ratio of 1 inch of tree trunk diameter to 1 ½ feet of critical roots radiating out from the tree. Tunneling around a tree's critical root zone will also keep roots from being severed when trenches are dug to install underground utilities.

A tree's branches and bark can also fall prey to construction equipment. Take note if you see broken branches or bark missing from a tree's trunk. Trees that suffer such damage may be more susceptible to insects and disease.

Be an active participant in the construction process, check to see if your builder is using any of the practices listed above.

Information on disturbances around trees is from the Minnesota Shade Tree Advisory Committee.