Planting Honeylocusts and Costs

[salomondesignboarder]

I am currently working on a project and am finding it hard to get an estimate on a certain aspect of planting Honeylocusts in an Urban Environment. It has come to my attention that in recent years Landscape Architects have found that trees live longer when they are planted with natural beds instead of tree grates around the bottom. Has anyone worked on a project where they made natural planting beds around the bases of these types of trees and know approximate costs associated with tearing up some of the sidewalk and adding soil and other plant material?

 

[Cardinal]

I have read a couple articles on the issue. It seems that the concern is over soils and water infiltration. Soils in downtown areas are often poor, heavily compacts, and often containing a good deal of rubble instead of the organic materials that trees love. Buildings, sidewalks, and streets create a large impervious area that does not allow enough water to flow to the trees. Design solutions often include excavating poor soils to replace them with good material, and improving the infiltration of water. This is sometimes done by opening a wider surface for infiltration, sometimes through infiltration sumps that may also have positive NP source impacts, and sometimes (mostly with existing trees that are stressed) injecting water into the root area.

Prices will vary considerably depending on existing conditions and the proposed design solution. Palmyra, WI took advantage of its wide streets to do an innovative design. If I were to guesstimate the cost, I would say:

$15/LF for five-foot wide sidewalk
$500/tree for soil remediation
$250/tree, 3" caliper

So, for a fifteen-foot long section with one tree, I would plan on spending about $3,000.

 

[Lee Nellis]

I can't add any data, but that is a very nice downtown planting strip!

 

[boiker]

I am currently working on a project and am finding it hard to get an estimate on a certain aspect of planting Honeylocusts in an Urban Environment.

off topic

If I had it my way, i'd ban honeylocust. overplanted overplanted, overplanted.

 

[Rem]

Another solution I am seeing used more and more is a permeable pavement extending beyond the grate/plant bed. It makes sense from the point of view of providing long term inflitration around the drip zone and is consistent with "Water Sensitive Urban Design" principles.