One of the most challenging areas to landscape is in the urban areas. There’s already stiff competition for space between pedestrians, buildings, and motor traffic. As a landscaper, you need to come up with a viable design that does not constrict movement, meets stringent regulations, and yet enhances aesthetics. Trees have always been a big part of the urban landscape but using them for streetscape design comes with myriad challenges.
There is no gainsaying the benefits of trees in urban landscaping. These trees work as natural filters for pollutants in towns and cities and also take fine particulates from the air. They also conserve water and prevent soil erosion, modify the local climate, create wildlife and plant diversity, and provide a tranquil and serene urban landscape.
In this regard, trees improve the wellbeing of city dwellers and make urban areas healthier places to live and work. More importantly, any landscape that features trees looks magnificent.
This post addresses challenges of maintaining trees in urban landscapes, using tree grates to overcome some of these challenges and new thinking to accommodate big tree openings.
Problems for Trees in Urban Landscaping
While trees offer multiple benefits to the urban landscaping, there are numerous challenges that landscapers have to contend with. Some of the main problems include:
- Damage to roots or soils from foot and car traffic and construction activities.
- Tree damage from disease and insects
- Lack of adequate space for trees to grow naturally
- Vandalism leading to tree trunk damage
- Very tight tree grating restricting root growth
- Poor planting techniques
- Lack of pruning and other forms of maintenance
These are only some of the challenges that property owners and government workers in charge of public urban spaces have to tackle. Without proper care and maintenance, even the most beautiful young trees die off early. Some will also experience stunted growth, turning them into eyesores.
Tree Grating to Promote Urban Trees
Most people pass by tree coverings in urban areas every day but they hardly take notice. These fittings have, over decades, become part of urban landscaping, and it’s thus easy to ignore them. The best tree grates play a crucial role in promoting streetscape design. They protect trees growing on the streets and other areas of urban landscapes.
A tree grate covers the bottom part of a tree and protects the underlying root system. It is a simple yet effective strategy to safely and effectively integrate trees into urban landscapes. These coverings allow space for the tree to continue growing while at the same time, facilitating the smooth flow of human and animal traffic.
Tree grate covers come in multiple designs, materials, colors, and shapes but they all serve similar functions. By protecting the root system from traffic, the grates ensure the trees continue growing amidst the bustling city life around them. The grating also protects accidents that would otherwise turn urban dwellers against the presence of these important components of the urban ecosystem. The soil around the tree roots is also protected from human traffic and remains compacted. This allows an easier flow of water through the soil and other nutrients.
Tree grate covers also serve an aesthetic function. Most of these fittings are beautifully designed to blend easily with their surroundings. Others come in unique styles and designs which add to the curb appeal. You can choose from different types of materials, including natural stone and cast iron tree grates.
Giving Urban Trees Freedom with Big Tree Openings
There is a lot of debate by environmentalists about the value of tree grates. For a long time, the available landscaping grating products on the market did not consider the natural rate of growth of trees. With time, the trees would outgrow the grating leading to damage to roots and even the trunks.
However, grates manufacturers now offer flexible products that accommodate a tree’s growth. You can now expand the tree grate by removing some rings to thus protect the tree roots and trunks from any harm. The case for big tree openings is a valid one but it can still work with gratings in place.
Leaving trees unprotected in a bid to give them free space to grow would be counterproductive in the end. Many would suffer damage due to vandalism, while foot traffic would compact the soil around the roots leading to problems with accessing nutrients.
By using versatile, flexible metal concrete tree grates, landscapers can now give trees space they need to thrive while at the same time protecting them from unique urban-centered challenges.
Wrapping Up
If you want to bring your urban landscape alive, planting trees is the easiest way to do this. Trees have multiple benefits, both functional and aesthetical. They make urban areas healthier to live in by reducing pollution while at the same time improving curb appeal. By using tree grates, you can now protect trees and allow them to grow freely. The best grates allow for expansion which means your trees will not suffer stunted growth.
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Interesting related article: “What is the Environment?“