Our Mission:
Our fundamental mission is to protect existing trees by focusing on the part of the tree that we cannot see, which is the underground. We protect trees for a variety of reasons:
· All trees are valuable in terms of the ecosystem services they provide: shade, water uptake, and oxygen production which make cities more pleasant and livable. At Root Cause, we start with the understanding that large existing trees bring more value than small, newly planted trees.
· More and more municipalities require existing trees to be protected during construction, and regulations make tree removal difficult.
The How and The Why:
In the past, the first step in the construction process involved moving everything out of the way. Cut down all the trees, remove all obstructions, and start with a blank slate. Regulations now require that trees be protected both above and below ground at construction sites, primarily by protecting the critical root zone (CRZ) from the damaging effects of soil compaction and excavation. When excavation is necessary, our measures allow us to prepare and repair soils before, during, and after the construction is performed to facilitate tree survival.
We aspire and execute the main philosophies contained in A Best Management Practice Guidebook for the Pacific Northwest. Trees need to be protected throughout their lives from damage in order to maximize their health, safety, functionality, and benefits. We employ a combination of passive and active tree protection techniques. Most common passive treatment simply means advising avoiding any harmful activity near the tree. Conversely, active treatment involves physical protective barriers to keep equipment and workers out of root zones and is generally required during any site disturbance. We also use air to incorporate organics into soil before, during and after construction to ensure trees survive the process.