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Developments Recognized for Building With Trees
Conservation-minded builders and developers from around the country have received 2005 Awards of Excellence in the Building With Trees recognition program. Sponsored by The National Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with NAHB and Firewise Communities, the program recognizes builders and developers who save trees during construction and land development.
Winners of this year’s awards are:
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 Residential: 26-100 Lots
Brookside Development, developed by Langston Development Company of Westfield, Ind.
Working with a registered arborist on a 152-acre site, the developer found ways to build around 900 mature trees and six lakes. Many healthy trees were saved when the developer cleared along a creek. Specific tree preservation areas were plotted on engineered drawings after a predevelopment inventory for the entire property. Retaining walls were installed and the lake bank was stabilized to limit erosion. Sewers and utilities were planned specifically to avoid trees, and roads were adjusted wherever possible.
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 Residential: 101-500 Lots
Grande Dunes, Phase 1, developed by Grande Dunes Development Company, LLC of Myrtle Beach, S.C., an affiliate of Burroughs & Chapin Company.
The main artery of the 2,200-acre development, including bike lanes, was planned around a heavily treed area, where grading and storm drainage were modified to help protect crucial root zones. The developers also used native laurel oaks, both planting new seedlings and transplanting trees, in their design for the community, which is bordered on one side by the Atlantic Ocean. Before building, the Grande Dunes Architectural Review Committee created a strict protocol for tree preservation, including an inventory of trees and shrubs, accommodation of significant trees and shrubs, transplanting where feasible, pruning and sturdy root zone fencing.
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 Residential: 501 or More Lots
Serrano, developed by Parker Development of El Dorado Hills, Calif.
Every effort was made to limit the number of trees moved during development of this 3,500-acre area, which includes homes, parks, green belts, a golf course and open space. The golf course was designed and built around trees. Every tree was inventoried and design decisions emphasized saving the greatest number of trees. In the end, only 7% of the existing trees were removed. Home owners are required to plant one tree per every 35 feet of frontage and a minimum of two trees in their backyards.
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 Residential: 501 or More Lots
Woodlands Edge, developed by Rocket Properties, LLC of Little Rock, Ark.
The common greenbelt of this 95% forested, 460-acre development connects to the back yards of almost every home. Designed to preserve natural vegetation, entryways and buffer areas contain a mix of hardwoods and pine. Native trees and vegetation were predominantly used in plantings.
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 Nonresidential
Wal-Mart Supercenter of Oldsmar, Fla., developed by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc. of Bentonville, Ark.
Some 1,400 trees were saved in building the new 208,000-square-foot store. Extensive surveying before the site was laid out resulted in a successful plan to transplant an entire 4.9-acre cypress tree wetland using cutting-edge techniques.
A jury of development industry and urban forestry professionals selected the award winners.
Criteria considered: creativity and attention to protecting trees during planning, design and construction; planting and providing for long-term tree care; demonstrating a commitment to tree protection by having a certified tree-care professional on the development team; taking inventory of existing trees and using information to help preserve trees; and adherence to tree protection goals throughout the construction process.
The awards were presented to developers at the Arbor Day Foundation's Building for Greener Communities National Conference on Sept. 19-21 in Nebraska City, Neb. The conference provides a national forum to discuss issues of tree protection during land development and construction.
For additional information on the Building With Trees recognition program, click here, or call 888-448-7337.
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