Tree surrounds in urban environments are troublesome at best. Trees prefer to live in forests with uncompacted highly organic soils around them for their critical root zones to live in. Urban environments like streetscapes are especially difficult due to their lack of pervious surfaces, compacted soils, contaminants, restricted root zones, lack of biological activity, lack or organic matter, etc… Traditionally urban tree surrounds have been either open pits that fill with trash and weeds, then becoming tripping hazards, or cast iron tree grates that eventually girdle the tree trunk when they are not maintained. Low wrought iron fences have proven to cause tripping hazards, granite cobbles become loose and cause tripping hazards. Until now, no good long term solution has been available to municipalities and property managers.
Recently the city of Key West, Florida decided to replace all their tree surrounds with Flexi-pave to eliminate the tripping hazard problem that historically cost the city millions of dollars in lawsuits annually. The year after Flexi-Pave was installed in the tree pits on Duvall Street, the number of lawsuits went from over 40+ to 0. Key West continues to pave additional tree pits due to this dramatic reduction in trip/fall incidents. Read more about Key West‘s endorsement of Flexi-Pave.
Also, Walt Disney World resorts have embraced and implemented Flexi-Pave tree surrounds in their theme parks and resorts. Disney executives realized the benefits of a poured-in-place, ADA compatible, low maintenance, long lasting tree surround solution the was also made of 100% recycled passenger car tires. So the next time you’re on vacation with the family at one of their resorts or parks, pay close attention to the tree pits and landscape beds. They’re covered in our revolutionary product.
In 2011, Washington, DC got it’s first city tree surround made of Flexi-Pave. It was for a street tree in front of a new Matchbox restaurant at 14th St NW and T St NW. Previously, DDOT and the Urban Forestry Administration had explored and tested other paving alternatives for tree surrounds and sidewalks, but they all had eventually failed. When DDOT found out about Flexi-pave, they were enthusiastic about testing it. Once Historic Preservation and the city Arborists had approved it, the city’s first tree surround was installed in November of that year. Other than being mistaken for asphalt by some passerby’s, it has received rave reviews and has performed as expected. This is now just one of many tree surrounds being installed in the greater DC area.
