TreeParker® urban tree pits in Athlone, Ireland

New road layouts and tree planting were undertaken in Athlone town centre, in both pedestrian and roadside locations. The main contractor was John Cradock, and the team is used to working with geo-cellular tree pit systems and saw no problem with the straightforward, simple design of TreeParker®. 

As is common in a town centre, there was the expected multitude of service lines and pipes running through the rooting area at various levels and angles. However, due to the way that the TreeParker® units are assembled, this caused no problem whatsoever, the support legs simply straddled the service pipes, as can be seen in the photographs.

The new TreeParker® system comprises rigid, modular units made from reinforced, recycled polypropylene. The units enable the ground above a tree pit to be trafficked, supporting the paving above (up to 56t/m2), whilst still protecting the soil below from compaction. This means that rather than needing to use a fast-draining and low organic structural tree soil, a soft, friable, organic topsoil can be used, which is ideal for successful tree establishment.

Although highly rigid, the units still provide 95% of their volume for rooting space. The heavy-duty, reinforced legs are available in various heights from the factory; 400, 600, 800mm, and 1, 1.2, and 1.5m. This gives a previously unheard-of adaptability with depth options, and more importantly, without the need to stack multiple units, saving installation time and money, as well as plastic. It also enables the units, by having legs rather than side walls, to easily straddle, or work around service pipes and lines, as was demonstrated at Athlone.