Will building an addition to my home, garage or driveway injure my trees?

Most likely yes! One of the most commonly held and damaging misconceptions about trees is that their roots go deep into the soil.  This is simply not true, especially in the Chicago area’s heavy clay soils.  Most tree roots reside in the top 6” of soil!  Our embattled Oak population is one of the hardest hit by construction damage as generally Oaks do not fair well when their root zone areas suffer compaction, smothering from equipment traffic and changes in drainage from grade alterations.   When planning any kind of construction around your trees, contact a certified arborist that specializes in construction damage prevention and tree preservation before you call an architect or builder.  It will go such a long way in insuring that your trees survive the construction with their lives in tact.  It is almost impossible to repair construction damage once it has occurred and really relatively easy to prevent. (ref: Tree Preservation Abstract, Mulching Abstract, Paclobutrazol-Tree Growth Regulator Abstract)