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Driving under the canopy
Driving
vehicles under the canopy compacts soil. This can cause severe tree health issues
even when roots are not cut or damaged. Vehicles also damage and break surface
roots as they turn on the soil. If mature tree health is important to you, do
not allow ANY vehicles to operate underneath trees. If there appears to be no
option, then consider the solutions listed below.
There are several methods of preventing soil compaction on a construction site:
- Hire a consulting arborist
- Construct a fence at the edge of the tree canopy to prevent ALL vehicles from operating there; establish fines for violations
- A 12-inch thick layer of coarse bark mulch can be spread under the canopy and mulch can be covered with steel plates. Vehicles drive on the plates. This system has been successfully used on many sites to preserve mature trees
- Do not use the area under the canopy as a parking zone or materials storage area
- Restrict ALL vehicles to fenced-off transportation corridors and materials storage areas.
