Ohio State University Extension Bulletin

Trees and Home Construction

Minimizing the impact of construction activity on trees

Bulletin 870-99

Minimizing Impact of Construction Activities

Construction activities that commonly damage or kill desirable trees directly or by affecting their environment include using equipment that can damage trees or compact the soil, regrading the land surface, excavating and trenching, paving and other surfacing, storing or disposing of building materials, and removing existing vegetation (Table 3). These activities and the methods to prevent or minimize their effects on trees are discussed in this bulletin. Some of the more important suggestions for minimizing the impact of construction activities are listed in Table 4.

Table 4. Suggested Methods to Minimize the Impact of Construction Activities.
Construction Activities Suggested Methods to Minimize Impact
Physical Damage to Trees
  • Restrict entrances and travel routes on property.
  • Establish tree protection zones around individual trees and groups of trees.
  • Prune branches that will interfere with construction activities.
  • Negotiate contractual penalty with contractor for tree damage.
  • Repair damaged trees promptly and correctly.
  • Obtain a professional evaluation from a certified arborist if unsure of a tree's structural stability.
Soil Compaction
  • Restrict vehicular and construction equipment traffic.
  • Establish tree protection zones around individual trees and groups of trees.
  • Use a layer of mulch or gravel to reduce compaction.
Regrading Land Surface -
Cutting
    Don't - unless absolutely necessary.
  • Establish an undisturbed "island" around tree.
  • Prune damaged or cut roots properly.
  • Retain topsoil.
Regrading Land Surface -
Filling
  • Where trees are not present
    - Retain topsoil.
    - Increase grade with soil coarser in texture than residual soil surface.
    - Evaluate need to develop transition zone between fill and residual soil.
  • Where trees are present
    - Don't fill - unless absolutely necessary.
    - Evaluate tree species tolerance to shallow fill (<4").
    - Keep shallow fill away from tree trunk.
    - Retain professional assistance if deep fill is required (>4") to evaluate desirability of root aeration systems.
Excavating and Trenching
  • Evaluate impacted tree's ability to survive and grow.
  • Evaluate the tree's potential as a hazard.
  • Reduce trenching within tree's dripline; reroute utilities.
  • Consider tunneling or "pushing" utilities beneath a tree rather than trenching.
  • Minimize the number of trenches; group utilities in one or a few trenches.
  • Use discontinuous footers or piers and lintels.
  • Prune damaged or cut roots properly.
Paving & Other Surfacing
  • Minimize paving/surfacing within the tree's protection zone.
  • Use paving that requires minimum excavation (reinforced concrete rather than asphalt).
  • Consider porous surfacing material.
  • Prune damaged or cut roots properly.
  • Be aware of herbicides, if any, to be used with surfacing.
Storage & Disposal of Materials
  • Have designated building materials storage site away from trees and identified planting sites.
  • Minimize traffic and restrict path of traffic to storage area.
  • Do not bury building materials on the site.
  • Clean site prior to grading.
  • Clean all spills quickly to reduce soil contamination.
  • Remove unused construction materials from site.
Removal of Vegetation
  • Remove trees carefully to diminish damage to remaining trees.
  • Evaluate tree species response and tolerance to changes.
  • Evaluate understory response to change.

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