Associated Builders and Contractors’ (ABC’s) Southeast Pennsylvania Chapter hosted a “Sustainable Site Development and Design” informational session and demonstration of the nation’s largest all-terrain tree spade May 23 at its East Norriton, Pa., headquarters.

The tree spade was designed specifically for Allan A. Myers, a division of American Infrastructure and ABC member, for greener, more cost-effective land development. Allan A. Myers can now easily handle tough terrain and heavily wooded sites in order to harvest trees up to 10 in. (25 cm) in caliper, up to 25 ft. (7.6 m) tall and reuse them on the same site.

With the tree spade on display, Seth Myers, manager of marketing at American Infrastructure, and Chip Heyser, an ISA certified arborist and project manager for the tree spade, presented the advantages of green efforts to improve the environment with cost effective natural resources.

Bill Graham and Dave Zeitlin of The Care of Trees discussed preservation and aftercare best practices.

“We’re excited about the event and the opportunity to generate a buzz about what we are capable of doing with our one-of-a-kind, all-terrain tree spade,” said Heyser, “We now have the ability to literally change the way land is developed in the Delaware Valley — simply moving trees out of the way of construction and transplanting them elsewhere on a site to be part of the final landscape.”

“Conserving Resources, Adding Value” was the tagline for the event.

The seminar included information for local engineers, architects and developers to show them that saving on-site, mature trees adds value and saves money compared to traditional methods. Developers not only benefit from increased property values, but they also save on move-in costs by managing stormwater runoff and complying with local tree replacement ordinances.

Tree replacement ordinances can cost developers hundreds of thousands of dollars depending on the strictness of the local ordinances. Often the requirements cannot be met and the developers must pay the township a fee.

“With our unique tree spade, we can use on-site trees to meet those requirements. The end result is a new residential development bearing closer resemblance to a neighborhood that’s been there for 20 years, with streets and yards lined with mature, large trees — saving the developer money and conserving the community’s trees. It’s a win-win for all, especially the environment,” Heyser said.

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