On a very warm summers day – Independence Day to be precise, GreenBlue were pleased to invite contractors onsite to their Headquarters in Bodiam, East Sussex, the first to witness RootSpace 400 – the next generation Soil Cell solution.
The day commenced with a tour of their onsite manufacturing facility by which both StrataCell and RootSpace could be seen in production from the initial recycled pellets, mould to final component with the help of some very cool looking robots.
A presentation from Dean Bowie, CEO re-iterated the importance of uncompacted soil solutions to enable maximum canopy cover and the long-term benefits that trees bring to our cities.
Then followed the main focus of the event – The Trial Tree Pit to enable contractors to be hands-on with the products and witness each stage of the installation process.
Excavated with a layer of aggregate, the tree pit was strengthened with mesh and prepared for installation of RootSpace 400 by which most were keen to jump in and have a go at clipping the units together most were surprised at how easy and quick this process was!
RootSpace® 400 soil support system for urban tree planting is designed for maximum uncompacted soil and rooting volume, utility-friendly with economic freight and industry-leading load bearing strength characteristics.
Following a BBQ lunch installation continued with ReRoot Barrier, aggregate, RootForm and anchoring, all crucial processes to aide root management and stability for the newly planted tree. A highlight was the soil fill bio-retentive soil, specially mixed and supplied by Bourne Amenity* (normally to take place after the first perimeter of soil cells), however, Lloyd precariously stood within the RootForm, spade in hand awaiting the infill.
The beautiful Celtis Austalis – known as the Southern Nettle Tree was carefully planted chosen for its biodiversity characteristic and supplied by Barcham Trees.
Irrigation, strapping and further soil were added -with the conclusion being the placement of GreenBlue’s brand new tree grille – The SettStone Precast Tree Grille, a permeable high strength offering with easy installation capabilities.
All attendees persevered in the heat to see the finale tree pit discovering how quickly a full integrated ArborSystem can be installed!
One attendee stated “really enjoyed the day ( even though it was very hot), very informative for me as haven’t been in this industry very long but will now look into planting of a tree in a different light”
With another “The tree pit demo was very instructive, as well as highly impressive – please pass on special thanks to Lloyd for managing the process to such perfection under pressure, not to mention the heat!”
Thank you for all those that attended – we look forward to hosting the next!
*Bourne Amenity have compiled a lovely step by step article on the installation, discover more here.
