Trees on a residential site increase the value of the property by up to 15%, while increasing construction costs by only about 5%. The hardest questions are usually which trees to keep, and how to keep them.

The most cost-effective time to deal with trees on a construction site is before any changes are made. This is when land has its highest potential to create value, usefulness, and beauty. Each existing tree on the site represents either a problem or an opportunity ... or possibly both.

We can help you evaluate your trees' usefulness, reliability, and compatibility with your plans, recognizing and saving the trees that fit your goals. If you don't do this, you are likely to keep trees that hurt the value of your finished project, and lose trees that you should have saved.

The first step in managing the important trees on a wooded construction site is accurately mapping their location, species, size, condition, and ground-line elevation (since grade cuts and fills seriously affect their viability). This should not be limited to just big trees -- it should include important younger trees (which are more adaptable than mature trees), and unusual plants and other site features that merit special care.

Some trees species add to the value of a wooded lot, some don't. We can help you avoid trees with weak wood, poor structure, a tendency toward insect and disease problems, and other pitfalls that people usually learn about the hard way.

Our job is to help you make informed choices about what to keep, and what to sacrifice. In general, give the maximum possible protection to trees to be saved, but don't try to do the impossible. If you need to adapt some of your design and construction practices on behalf of special trees, the best time to start is before the heavy equipment arrives.

A good way to start is to read our 16-page booklet, Trees for Your Home, which includes a section and Trees and Construction.