TREE PROTECTION GUIDELINES

Description
Protection of trees from mechanical and other injury during land disturbing and
construction activities.

Purpose
To ensure the survival of desirable trees where they will be effective for erosion and
sediment control,watershed protection, landscape beautification, dust and pollution
control, noise reduction, shade and other environmental benefits while the land is
undergoing construction.
The goal of these guidelines is to provide with basic and practical information on how
to best accomplish the most important tree management activities that will give
trees on development sites the best chance for surviving and thriving during and
after the construction process.

Application
Tree-inhabited areas subject to land disturbing activities. The processes involved with
construction can be deadly to nearby trees. Unless the damage is extreme, the trees
may not die immediately but could decline over several years. With this delay in
symptom development, you may not associate the loss of the tree with the
construction. It is possible to preserve trees on building sites if the right measures
are taken. The most important step is to hire a professional arborist during the
planning stage. An arborist can help you decide which trees can be saved and can
work with the builder to protect the trees throughout each construction phase.

THE VALUE OF TREES TO A COMMUNITY

The following are some facts on just how important trees are in a
community setting.
Commercial cost of oxygen
7.9 litres (9.0 kg) of oxygen costs Rs 3,028.53/-. From this we can calculate that 5
mole oxygen costs
Rs. 56.08/-.
Value of net oxygen output of a tree such as red cedar
Trees produce approx 5 mole (a measure of the number of molecules) oxygen per
square metre leaf area
per day.
Trees use about half this oxygen for their own respiration. Therefore, the net oxygen
output of a tree is
approx 2.5 mole per square metre leaf area per day.
For tropical rainforest the average total leaf surface area is about 8 times the area of
the canopy.
A 5 year old red cedar has a canopy of about 7 square metres and hence a net
oxygen output of 2.5 x 8 x 7
= 140 moles worth Rs 1,570.35/- per day (about Rs 5,60,839.00 /- per year).
A 20 year old red cedar has a canopy of about 80 square metres and hence a net
oxygen output of 2.5 x 8
x 80 = 1600 moles worth Rs.17,946.85 per day (about Rs.6,730,068.00 per year).
By the time the tree is 50 years old it would have produces oxygen worth about Rs.
336,503,400.00/NB The above calculation is a rough estimate assuming 10 hours of sunlight per day
and "typical" levels
of water, light, temperature and nutrients.

"There are about 60 to "The net cooling effect of a young, healthy tree is equivalent
to ten room-size
air conditioners operating 20 hours a day."
"One acre of forest absorbs six tons of carbon dioxide and puts out four tons of
oxygen. This is enough
to meet the annual needs of 18 people."
"Trees properly placed around buildings can reduce air conditioning needs by 30
percent and can save
20 - 50 percent in energy used for heating."
"Shade from trees could save up to Rs. 9,814.68 per year (per structure) in air
conditioning costs." -Dr. Lowell
Ponte
"Healthy, mature trees add an average of 10 percent to a property's value."
"The planting of trees means improved water quality, resulting in less runoff and
erosion. This allows
more recharging of the ground water supply. Wooded areas help prevent the
transport of sediment and
chemicals into streams."

Trees Damage During Construction

Below are some ways that trees are likely to get damaged during construction
Physical Injury to Trunk and Crown.
Construction equipment can injure the aboveground portion of a tree by breaking
branches, tearing the
bark, and wounding the trunk. These injuries are permanent and, if extensive, can be
fatal.
Cutting of Roots.
The digging and trenching that are necessary for construction and install
underground utilities will likely
sever a portion of the roots of many trees in the area. It is easy to appreciate the
potential for damage if
you understand where roots grow. The roots of a tree are found mostly in the upper 6
to 12 inches of the
soil. In a mature tree, the roots extend far from the trunk. In fact, roots typically are
found growing a
distance of one to three times the height of the tree. The amount of damage a tree
can suffer from root loss
depends, in part, on how close to the tree the cut is made. Severing one major root
can cause the loss of 5
to 20 percent of the root system. Another problem that may result from root loss
caused by digging and trenching is that the potential for the trees to fall over is
increased. The roots play a critical role in anchoring a tree. If the major support roots
are cut on one side of a tree, the tree may fall or blow over.
Soil Compaction.
An ideal soil for root growth and development is about 50 percent pore space. These
poresthe spaces
between soil particlesare filled with water and air. The heavy equipment used in
construction com-pacts
the soil and can dramatically reduce the amount of pore space. This compaction not
only inhibits root

growth and penetration but also decreases oxygen in the soil that is essential to the
growth and function of
the roots.
Smothering Roots by Adding Soil.
90 percent of the fine roots that absorb water and minerals are in the upper 6 to 12
inches of soil. Roots
require space, air, and water. Roots grow best where these requirements are met,
which is usually near the
soil surface. Piling soil over the root system or increasing the grade smothers the
roots. It takes only a few
inches of added soil to kill a sensitive mature tree.
Exposure to the Elements.
Trees in a forest grow as a community, protecting each other from the elements. The
trees grow tall, with
long, straight trunks and high canopies. Removing neighbouring trees or opening the
shared canopies of
trees during construction exposes the remaining trees to sunlight and wind. The
higher levels of sunlight
may cause sunscald on the trunks and branches. Also, the remaining trees are more
prone to breaking
from wind or ice loading.
Post-Construction Tree Maintenance
Your trees will require several years to adjust to the injury and environmental
changes that occur during
construction. Stressed trees are more prone to health problems such as disease and
insect infestations.
The best time to start making a tree more resistant to work around its roots a year
before the work begins.
Fertilizing should be done about a year before the work is to begin. This will help the
tree store up needed
nutrients for the next few years.

FENCING AND PROTECTING THE TPZ:

We recommend that we can adopt (A) only bunds, (B) only fence with screen cloth,
and/or (C); a
combination of fence and bund, after considering specific trees conditions in a given
location.

(A)BUNDS:
A 450mm high bund wall at the drip line of the tree will be created to protect any
liquid instrution in the
tree protection zone.

(B)TREE PROTECTION FENCE:

(AS) Two meters high shutter board firmly anchored in the ground to protect any
vehicular and material
instrution into the protected tree zone. There are other options that we are
presenting below.
All features to be protected should be fenced with 2.3m height steel mesh or panel
fencing, mounted on
scaffold framework set 600mm into the ground as anchoring, with backstays at 3m
centers.

DESCRIPTION:

Pruning is the deliberate removal

of tree
branches and limbs to achieve
a specific objective in the
alteration of a trees size,
spread, health, and form.
Regular inspections to

determine
a trees

pruningneeds should be a part of every tree maintenance program. Always

determine your objective beforebeginning pruning.Pruning should be done as a preconstruction measure to minimize damage to trees.It should protect a trees natural
form. Well-pruned trees are similar in form and appearance to trees that have not
been pruned (as shown in the figure below).

PRUNING PRINCIPLES FOR PRUNING LARGE BRANCHES

1. The first cut (1) undercuts the limb to prevent the bark from ripping down the tree.
2. The second cut (2) removes the limb.
3. The final cut (3) should be just outside the branch collar to remove the resulting
stub.
After the process of Pruning, to protect the exposed cut shoot from any fungal
infection insect attack, fungicides and insecticides will be applied in following
manner:1. Hard wood-contact fungicide.
2. Sap wood, folium- systemic fungicide, insecticide and bark by contact fungicide

DO NOT TOP TREES

Never cut main branches back to create stubs.
Proper pruning can remove excessive growth without the problems topping creates.
In addition, many
arborists say that topping is the worst thing you can do for the health of a tree. It
starves the tree by
drastically reducing its food-making ability and makes the tree more susceptible to
insects and disease.