The first Australian Standard covering tree protection on construction sites is now available.
AS 4970-2009 Protection of trees on development sites provides arborists, architects, builders, engineers, land managers, landscape architects, contractors, planners and building surveyors with tree management guidelines for the proper care and protection of trees retained and integrated into construction projects.
The standard includes guidance on how to decide which trees should be retained and the means of protecting those trees during construction.
Key to the Australian Standard is the requirement that procedures must be in place to protect trees at every stage of the development process, including from the earliest planning of an outdoor event or the initial design of a new development, where trees are present.
John Tucker, CEO of Standards Australia, says the new standard represents an important step forward in promoting sustainable and environmentally friendly building practices.
"Until now, developers, planning ministers, local councils and arborists have had no consistent methodology for protecting trees retained on construction sites. This Australian Standard provides guidelines for tree management that have been agreed by government, arboriculturists and the building industry," he says.
City of Sydney Council has already applied guidelines stipulated by the Australian Standard to a development project to upgrade the Victoria Park playground in Camperdown, NSW.
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