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Trees, Construction and Lincolnshire

If you were a tree, mere mention of the word "construction" would make your leaves shake. Every year, countless beautiful trees needlessly lose their lives, or experience irreversible damage as a result of careless construction activity.

The vast majority of the time, property owners and construction workers responsible for damaging trees have no intention of doing so. Unfortunately, it is their lack of knowledge about how trees live and grow that leads to the unnecessary damage.

Whether or not we like to admit it, generally speaking, people take trees for granted. Sure, we enjoy their shade and beauty, not to mention their ability to clean our polluted air and water. But because of trees' stationary and relatively uncommunicative nature, we seldom give them the consideration that we give to other, more personable, living things.

Many homeowners and builders believe that protecting trees during construction activity is as simple as preventing machinery from running into tree trunks or damaging branches. But it is important to remember that trees are twice as big as they look. In the absence of providing the same level of protection for the tree's sensitive root system, protecting branches and tree trunks is pointless.

Look at it this way, if a tree had to choose between having 60% of its branches removed or having 40% of its roots removed, the tree would generally choose to lose the branches. Roots are that important. Since tree roots can be destroyed by seemingly harmless actions such as driving over them, adding or removing soil, and utility trenching, it becomes abundantly clear why the word "construction" can spell disaster for trees.

Fortunately for the trees of Lincolnshire, all building permits submitted to the Village are reviewed for tree protection concerns. If it is determined that trees will be affected by construction activity, be it for a new home, room addition, or even just a patio, the homeowner and/or builder are required to work with the Village Forester to develop and adhere to a tree protection plan that provides trees with the best possible chance of survival.

So remember, when planning for your next home or yard improvement project, don’t forget to give your property’s trees the consideration they need. If you would like to know more about protecting trees during construction, or if you have other tree related questions, please feel free to contact Tony Gliot, the Village Forester, at 847-883-8600.