Sugarland Preconstruction Services

When building new structures around trees, one must consider that they are living organisms. They will deal with compaction, root cutting, heavy trimming, lack of water, and toxic chemicals used during construction.

Contact us today for a friendly consultation! We’re positive you will find all your tree services here. Sugar Land Arborist & Tree Service is always providing high-quality service and customer satisfaction – we will do everything we can to meet your expectations. Contact us today for a free consultation on trimming & removal!

Do I need a Preconstruction Consultation?
​If you are building and there are trees on the property, then the answer is yes
What happens if you don’t?
You will be imposing significant health risks on your trees and possibly cause them to die. Construction crews are not Arborists; they do not understand the biology, anatomy, and physiology of trees; therefore, they will not treat them as they should. It is common for crews to park under trees due to the shade. This can kill a tree even though it looks OK now. Soil compaction from personal vehicles, tractors, concrete trucks, material delivery trucks, and heavy equipment will slowly cause your tree to starve. If this has already happened, don’t worry. Call us immediately, and we will perform a tree health inspection as soon as possible and design a custom plan that may include soil testing, deep root fertilization, decomposition, and tree pest, and disease prevention.

​Another common problem is construction crews rinsing out tools under the tree. Trees are shady and make a comfortable place to wash out the paintbrushes, sheetrock, and concrete tools, as along with washing out the rear of the concrete truck. All these byproducts are unfortunate for trees and may prove fatal. Don’t let one ignorant worker kill your lovely trees. Again, if this has already happened, we may have to take a soil sample and develop a remediation plan.
Any other issues with construction around trees would include damaging the trees. This may occur during the initial clearing as trees fall into other trees, equipment knock against tree trunks ripping off the bark, construction permits getting nailed to your trees, trees being used as makeshift saw horses or structure to hang wet tarps.
Once construction is all finished, you will notice that additional dirt is added. This soil, unless handled properly, will smother and suffocate your trees. As low as 3 of fill added on top of a tree root system can kill the tree.

How is it done?
When executing out the preconstruction services, we ensure there is a plan from the very beginning when possible. Our professional arborists are trained to collaborate with every stage and trade from initial planning with the architect, engineer, and builder to the rules we set for the trades. We make a comprehensive and customized list of rules for all the trades and the builder to follow when working around trees. This does not usually add cost to the project. We also can erect tree protection fences, English and Spanish clearly explain the rules and consequences. We can make sure the trees are watered, mulched, and trimmed correctly before work starts along with fertilized to improve initial health. Our arborists will speak with you through every stage to making the process easy and painless.

Why not have a post-construction consult?
Depending upon the stage we become involved, some stresses may already have happened, and your trees may have a significant risk of dying. We can help you develop a plan to overcome issues for instance,

• Mechanical damage to the trunk, limbs, and roots
• Poisoning
• Stress from grade changes
• Soil compaction
• Pest activity
• Disease management
• Increased wind exposure

Our ISA Certified Arborists have consulted on basic residential projects and high profile commercial expansion projects. Some commercial construction projects require an ISA Certified Arborist to become retained by the contractor throughout the project. Within this case, the arborist functions as a liaison for the tree, a Lorax, if you will. This helps the builder save as many trees as possible that may prevent expensive fines from the municipality associated with the tree protection ordinance. Many areas of Houston now require it. All federally subsidized construction projects also mandate that an ISA Certified Arborist be met for all phases. Therefore, we are available on retainer.