Brochures

CIS Street Furniture
Creating inspiring street scenes

Brochures

Root Direction

Designed for the protection of pavements and hard landscape areas, the root director systems divert root growth downwards and ourwards avoiding the unsightly and hazardous root damage.

Showing all 2 results

How tree roots damage pavements

Standard tree planting for street tree in unprotected tree pit.
Roots begin to spread beyond the confines of the planting pit.
As the tree grows, the roots undergo secondary thickening which begins to lift paving and cause extensive damage. Cutting roots to repair paving or excavating the serice pipe will seriously destabilise the tree, probably leading to its death and removal.

How root protectors prevent root damage

Tree planted within root director.
As the tree establishes, the roots spread out and are guided downwards and outwards by the root director walls and integral ribs.
The established tree roots spread below the barrier where secondary thickening does not harm paving. Deeper root growth also improves tree stability and drought resistance.

Root Director installation

  1. Choose your Root Director by rootball diameter: RD640 has a top opening of 580mm, RD1050 is 960mm.
  2. We suggest backhoe excavation of a square hole about 100mm deeper than the Root Director so that sand can be used to assist final levelling. The soil beneath the centre of the new tree should be loosened to a depth of 400mm to ensure there are no obstructions and assist root penetration downwards.
  3. Stake holes can be simply cut, using a stanley knife or similar, before placing the Root Director, and give firm vandal-proof support for the stakes.
  4. If a tree grate finishing flush with the paving is to be installed on top of the Root Director its thickness should be allowed for, otherwise the upper lip of the Root Director should be flush with the surrounding surface.
  5. If the original soil is suitable as a planting medium it can be re-used to backfill inside the Root Director. Alternatively your tree supplier can suggest an appropriate material.
  6. The backfilling outside the Root Director should be no more permeable to the roots than the undisturbed ground. Internal and external backfilling should proceed together so that the Root Director is not unduly distorted.

Reroot barrier installation

  1. The ReRoot barrier should be installed when the tree pit has been fully excavated and before any backfilling has taken place.
  2. For a surround type barrier the base of the tree pit should be loosened to aid drainage. The barrier is then formed around the pit perimeter allowing as generous clearance as possible (minimum of 150mm) to ease backfilling and allow the roots to spread. Minimum dimensions shown should be observed. The barrier should then be cut to length with a sharp stanley type knife allowing a minimum overlap of 300mm.
  3. The join should then be taped using ReRoot polypropylene jointing tape. Both sides of the join must be taped and it is very important that the surfaces be clean and free of dust, dirt, grease etc. and that there are no gaps through which a root hair could penetrate.
  4. It is most important that the ribs face inwards towards the tree roots.
  5. The top edge of the barrier should be installed to protrude very slightly above the finished level, i.e. 5-10mm but not more than 20mm.
  6. Backfill carefully as you plant the tree, building up both sides of the barrier in layers.
  7. 20 -50mm gravel is recommended for backfilling outside the barrier because this will aid aeration.

Contact us

Get in touch with us to discuss your street furniture project requirements.

We’d love to hear from you on the phone or email. If you would rather send us a quick message, please use the form to the right.







    *Required fields

    Street Furniture

    CIS Street Furniture

    Products

    Contact us

    © 2023 CIS Street Furniture