By Keith Brown Certified Arborist Construction Damage Construction damage is probably the number one cause of tree death in urban settings. Any mechanical injury or change in the trees environment due to construction.
Construction can be anything from installing a new irrigation system to constructing a new building.
Anyone who has watched all their prized trees die within a few years following construction knows how frustrating this problem is. The sad thing is most tree deaths could be avoided with one simple call to an arborist when tree stress appears or, ideally, prior to the start of construction. Tree stress from construction damage can manifest in as little as a few months or take several years to show up depending on the tree species and health prior to construction. Damage can come in the form of sideswiped trunks, broken limbs or improper cuts made by construction workers, unaware of proper pruning techniques. But the most traumatic damage is done to root zones.