Trees are invaluable to us. They play a crucial part in the environment, and in our wellbeing, they give us air, they give is pleasant shadows, and they make for the best views. But when it comes to residential areas, trees only add to the value, in every sense of the world. Not only do they affect the aesthetics of the place and add character to it, but they also play a part in the financial value of the area.
For these and many other reasons, it's crucial that losing healthy trees should be avoided whenever it's possible. And if you are planning to build something, the way to do it, while also protecting your project, is to get an Arboricultural Impact Assessment. Furthermore, some trees may even be protected by law, in which case, this report made by a professional arborist can save you time and money, by ensuring your building project is within the law.
What Is an Arboricultural Impact Assessment?
Spotting potential problems with trees isn't something that just anyone can do. Not only regarding their health, but also regarding the potential dangerous around them. So, it prudent to find a professional arborist, and ask them to inspect any tree in the vicinity of your home.
This is even more true if you are planning to propose a building project, in which case having an arborist make a tree assessment report may be crucial to the entire proposal and to the project itself. There are many potential impacts that some of the activities during construction may have on the environment, and trees can be very as vulnerable as they are precious. So, in order to protect them, as well as minimise the negative impacts of the construction, you need an arborist who will guide you through everything that's related to the trees, helping you save time and money in the long run.
The arborist would make an assessment on the potential impact of the project on the trees, that's meant to help minimise the risks and protect your project as well. The arborist should be engaged before the building stars. They will inspect the adjacent trees on the development site, and make a report. The idea of this technical report, called Arboricultural Impact Assessment is to identify and mitigate any problems that might occur during and after the construction, as well as how the trees might be impacted in the future.
After identifying which of the trees on the construction site are healthy and well-structured, the arborist will then try to determine all the possible damages from the constriction activities, and prepare their Arboricultural Impact Assessment Report. Furthermore, the arborist will let the project architect know if there are trees that can or should be removed, if there are conflicts between the trees and the construction activities, and together they will try to find the best course of action.
After the arborist and the project architect have agreed on tree removal, the arborist will be able to determine the temporary measures necessary to protect each specific remaining tree that may be damaged during the entire process of the construction. With all this they'll prepare the arborist report, which may also include suggestions about different mitigation measures such as replacing the trees recommended for removal with new trees.
What Are the Potential Dangers for Healthy Trees on Construction Sites?
Construction damages can occur even during the smallest projects. Anything that will disturb the soil or cover it, or even driving near the tree with a heavy equipment may cause wounds to the roots, the main branches or the trunk. It's obvious how huge vehicles and machineries can damage a tree, especially when it comes to its parts above ground, – broken smaller branches, trunk wounds etc. However, the biggest dangers for trees lie below ground. While a broken branch might not be too dangerous for the tree, and some trunk wounds can be less serious – other damages, such as some serious disturbance in the rooting system, may lead to various irreparable health issues, and even death.
Roots are one of the vital parts of the trees, and it's almost impossible that they stay completely safe if there is a construction near them. Nevertheless, if more than 40% of the root system is damaged, the tree won't be able to get energy to stay healthy. Roots are the part of the tree that keeps the tree standing, anchoring it to the ground. The roots are the part of the tree that gets water, oxygen and nutrients, feeding the entire tree, and stores reserves of the needed chemicals to keep the tree healthy during hard conditions. And roots are much more vulnerable than you might think. While the construction damages to the parts of the tree above ground are visible almost immediately, symptoms of damage to the root system may take years to appear.
Do You Need an Arboricultural Impact Assessment?
Regardless of the size of the project, you may need an Arboricultural Report. Obviously, if there are trees on the site where you are planning to build something, then you probably need to call an arborist to prepare it, in order to preserve the environment, but moreover, in some cases your proposal may be declined if you don't provide one. Because of this, it's best if you include an arborist in the design stage. This way you can save time and money, and avoid delays later on, and know in advance what trees need to protected.