Tree Preservation & Planning
Townsend Arborcare provides full-service construction tree preservation consulting for commercial developers, property managers, and municipal clients across Central Indiana, from pre-construction planning through post-construction recovery.
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How We Do it
Protecting trees during construction projects
Every engagement starts with a pre-construction tree assessment. Our ISA Certified Arborists® conduct a full tree inventory of the project site to then develop a formal tree preservation plan that maps tree protection zones (TPZs) and is designed to integrate directly with your construction drawings and can be submitted for permitting compliance.
Townsend Arborcare provides on-site monitoring and reporting. When construction wraps, we return to assess post-construction stress, perform soil decompaction, apply supplemental fertilization and mycorrhizal treatments where warranted, and develop a follow-up care schedule to support long-term tree recovery.
Why We Do It
Planning for the future of your trees
A tree that survives the construction period isn't necessarily a healthy tree. Root severance, soil compaction in the critical root zone, and grade changes can cause a tree to decline and fail after a project closes. When assessing your trees, we are looking at location, species, and age and condition of trees to maintain the aesthetic beauty and monetary value of your property’s site. We want to help you beautify your property while considering shade, noise, privacy and reduction of energy costs.
"They were very professional, and the crew chief was really nice to let me know what was going on. Thanks again for making that happen, and for keeping Cherry Tree and its neighbors safe!"
Benefits from the ground up
Compliance documentation
Our arborists produce tree risk assessment reports, tree preservation plans, and monitoring records that satisfy regulatory and permitting requirements and protect you from costly remediation disputes.
Integrated project support
We work directly alongside your design team, general contractor, and site managers. Our tree preservation plans are built to integrate with grading plans, utility routing, and construction phasing.
Pre- and post-construction care
Townsend Arborcare provides soil analyses, root pruning, air spading, decompaction strategies, and fertilization at the points in a project where trees are most vulnerable.
Frequently Asked Questions About Tree Preservation Plans
A tree preservation plan documents the trees on and adjacent to a project site, establishes tree protection zones and critical root zone boundaries for retained trees, defines limits of disturbance, and specifies protective measures—including TPZ fencing, equipment exclusion zones, root pruning requirements, and any treatments needed before ground disturbance. The plan is developed by Townsend Arborcare’s ISA-certified arborists and can be submitted for permitting compliance where local ordinances require it.
A tree protection zone is a designated exclusion area around a tree that prohibits equipment, material storage, grading, and excavation within the root system’s most critical area. The ISA standard calculates TPZ radius at 1 foot per inch of trunk diameter at breast height (DBH), though species sensitivity, health, and site conditions can warrant a larger buffer. Our arborists establish TPZ boundaries during the pre-construction assessment and mark them on the site plan.
Before site plans are finalized. The earlier an arborist is engaged, the more options exist for routing utilities, locating structures, and staging equipment in ways that protect valuable trees without compromising the project design. Bringing us in after grading begins limits what can be saved and increases the cost of mitigation.
Yes, when protection measures are implemented correctly and monitored throughout all construction phases. The critical variables are how much of the root system is preserved, whether soil compaction within the TPZ is prevented, and whether post-construction recovery care is provided. Trees that receive professional preservation oversight — including post-construction decompaction and soil treatment — have a substantially better survival prognosis than those that receive only fencing.
Yes. Townsend Arborcare provides on-site monitoring at agreed intervals during active construction phases, including photo documentation and written reports. This creates a compliance record for the project and gives your team early warning if TPZ fencing is breached, equipment is encroaching on root zones, or other conditions require corrective action.
After construction closes, we conduct a post-work assessment to evaluate each retained tree for signs of stress, root damage, and soil changes. Depending on findings, treatment may include air spading to relieve soil compaction, deep root fertilization, mycorrhizal inoculants to support fine root regeneration, supplemental irrigation scheduling, and canopy pruning to reduce the structural load on a compromised root system. We develop a follow-on monitoring schedule so recovery progress can be tracked over time.
Tree Preservation in Central Indiana
Townsend Arborcare has worked across Central Indiana for more than 60 years and understands both the regional tree species and the regulatory landscape our commercial clients navigate. We're proud to provide tree preservation planning and construction tree protection consulting for developers, designers, contractors, and property managers in Indianapolis and its surrounding areas, such as Carmel, Fishers, Westfield, Noblesville, and Zionsville.
