A condition of planning approval for a care home extension was the protection of a mature oak tree from the effects of a 2 tonne piling rig crossing the RPA. The requirement was for there to be no detrimental compaction of the ground over the roots. Greenfix worked with the client and consultants to establish a cost effective temporary option, providing bulk density calculations to maintain compaction of the soil at an acceptable level. As Geoweb® cellular confinement is a control measure for tree root protection under BS5837 - 2012 this was used for the 3 dimensional load spreader to create a track for the piling rig.

Greenfix attended site to advise the contractor on the correct installation of Geoweb and the use of ATRA Key ® as a joining method for panels. ATRA Key is permanent, substantially easier to install than stapling as well as four times stronger. As this was a temporary measure designed to accommodate the passage of the piling rig, sand was used to fill the cells. This enabled the restoration of the garden to its original condition.

Soils with a bulk density higher than 1.6 g/cm3 tend to restrict root growth. Maintaining a level of soil compaction that promotes root growth is an important aspect of tree root protection and one that cellular confinement is a key aspect of. Greenfix provide bulk density calculations for tree root protection applications of all sizes.