Points To Remember For Creating An Urban Forestry

By Author: Alexander Bennet
Total Articles: 3
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Most people love to get out into the country so that they can enjoy the sight and smell of trees and other living plants in abundance. But the wise city planner will allow for trees to be incorporated into specific places in the city or town, thus creating areas of urban forestry. Trees give shade, add relief from the constant scenery of buildings and other cityscapes and help to clean the air, as the leaves inhale carbon dioxide and exhale oxygen.

Trees are a natural product that can be used for many things apart from being cut down for buildings and to make paper. Everyone knows that trees make our environment healthier; however growing them in an urban setting is not always easy. For a start, all that concrete compacts the soil, which makes it difficult for tree roots to grow properly. This causes lack of stability, which is often why the wind can blow them over.

Then there is the problem of keeping the roots from damaging the pavement and other hidden structures such as plumbing. Roots from trees tend to seek out water and grow wherever they find it. The pressure of growing roots can easily crack foundations ...
... and pipes. It is therefore essential to ensure that some kind of guard is put into place that the roots cannot grow through or over – or under.

Some trees have roots that spread horizontally for many metres, while others have roots that go down deep and don’t spread much at all. So before any trees are planted, the tree root system must be matched to the area in which it is to be planted. Parks can host trees that have horizontal roots, while streets really need trees with a vertical root system

It is also necessary to ensure the trees have adequate moisture and nutrients if they are to be healthy specimens. You can get various kinds of tree guards that will prevent the roots from going where they should not go while guiding them in a safe direction. They also help to keep the pressure and weight of compacted soil off the root area and ensure that there is enough void to create healthy roots.

Trees cannot usually grow well in soil that has been so compacted that moisture and nutrients cannot penetrate. If they don’t grow well they become more prone to disease and injury. That is why particular care must be taken when creating an urban treescape. Care should also be taken to use trees that do not die after just a few years as they will cost more to remove and replace.

Author Bio:

For the past five years I have been writing informative and quality articles on topics such as urban forestry, tree root system, tree guards and many more.