Natural Notes: Trees and Construction, Keeping Trees Alive in an Urban Forest

This post consists of my notes from a lecture on trees in construction sites as part of a training to become a certified arborist by the International Society of Arborculture.  The speaker was Lindsay Ivanyi, a natural resources specialist with the Forest Preserves of Cook County and her lecture took place on January 28, 2015 at the Salt Creek Resource Management facility in Willow Springs, Illinois.  

 Construction damage is the most common cause of tree damage and death in urban areas.  There is usually severe injury to the crown and trunk (broken branches and trunk lacerations).  Cutting of the roots from digging and trenching activities, as well as lowering the grade of the surface can cause a lot of tree damage and fatalities.  

 Compaction should be avoided at all costs.  Compaction reduces oxygen that roots take in and it reduces the ability of the roots to absorb minerals and nutrients.  

 Smothering of roots is also a problem because 90% of tree roots are in the upper few inches of the soil.  In fact, roots can extend 3 times the length of the dripline of the tree (see figure 1).  Small diameter roots absorb the most water and nutrients.  
Figure 1:  Tree roots can extend 3 times the length of the tree's dripline.  

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