When you think of trees, images of the picturesque autumnal colours of an oak tree, or the breathtaking size of mature redwoods, come to mind. Trees give us as individuals a lot of joy and beauty, but in cityscapes, trees, if not managed currently, can be dangerous. Tree-related pedestrian injuries are much more common than you think and can result in costly settlements.

Tree roots like meandering outside their designated rooting zone looking for water or nutrients, causing all sorts of damage ranging from pavement cracking to underground water pipe breakages.

Tree grates are one method to manage trees in cityscapes safely. If properly installed, tree grates essentially protect trees from pedestrians and pedestrians from trees. Tree grates are often categorized as a root management product, as they help to ensure tree roots stay in their intended rooting areas. Placed over the tree roots and around the tree trunk, grates have two primary purposes.

Number one, to avoid soil compaction to allow for healthy tree growth, and number two, to ensure that the tree’s roots do not impact the surrounding pavements. With tree root protection underneath the grate, pedestrians are less likely to be tripped up by protruding roots. The tree grates also provide a more levelled surface, preventing pedestrian injury.

At Citygreen, we have developed a wide range of grates that will make cities greener and safer.

The Invisigrate™ is a pave-over grille, allowing the surrounding pavement to continue up to the tree trunk. This method eliminates any trip or slip hazards pedestrians often encounter and gives a clean style to the pavement.

This sub-surface grille can still incorporate all the essential irrigation inlets and checkpoints into the pavement. The benefit of this grate is that it allows designers to continue their choice of paving over the tree pit area for a more stylish and effortless finish.

The grate also has built-in tree irrigation/ventilation inlets and a removable inner section that allows tree growth.

We can all agree that the protection of trees is vital for retaining a city’s character and environmental feel, but within cityscapes, trees need to be managed for pedestrian safety. Installing tree grates is one easy and effective way of achieving safer, greener, healthier cities.

To learn more about our tree grates products, contact our friendly Citygreen Team.

In Australia, the Bureau of Meteorology has officially declared that a third La Niña is underway. With this announcement, it is safe that most Australians are looking forward to the eventual return of sunny skies; however, this cannot be said for other citizens around the globe.

The La Niña causing relentless rain for eastern Australia is also driving serve drought conditions in East Africa.

This is because there are ‘cool seas off Africa and warm seas off Australia, leading to rain falling over Australia instead of Africa’ (Deacon, 2022).

As the rains began to fall in Australia shortly after the Black Summer Fires in early 2020, rainfall sadly failed to eventuate in East Africa. This year, the Horn of Africa faces a record fifth failed wet season, which is impacting some of the poorest countries on earth.

The million-dollar question is what can be done about La Niña?

With climate change, these unusual, erratic weather events will be more frequent, and our cities need to be able to adapt.

At Citygreen, we believe that trees can help to alleviate the impacts of climate change, but first, we need to get them in the ground, so they thrive in our communities.

Planting trees in our bustling cities is no easy feat. The idea that you can plant a tree into a sidewalk or verge and hope that it will survive on its own during these erratic weather seasons we now face is an idea that has now been conclusively abandoned.

At Citygreen, we have been developing highly-engineering and researched products for over three decades, enabling trees to thrive and benefit our urban communities as soon as possible.

One of these products goes by the name of the RootDirector – a modular root management device designed to prevent root swirl and divert root growth downward and outward. This encourages profound root growth, which enhances the tree’s growth and overall stability.

Deeper and healthier root growth means the trees can access more subsoil moisture during dry periods. During wet periods, the roots have a greater and deeper span to find available oxygen in waterlogged soils.

Also, if tree roots are not directed downwards, they will grow horizontally and cause issues to other infrastructures like pipes and sidewalks.

At Citygreen, we believe that planting trees using an adequately designed root management system is a small cost compared to the time and labour needed to replant trees after premature death or removal due to infrastructure damage.

For more information download the free digital brochure below.
RootDirector Brochure.