Sioen transplants 15 large trees
Transplanting trees
Instead of cutting them down, we’ve transplanted 15 large deciduous trees at our Sioen HQ. As we aim to preserve and improve biodiversity, we have chosen to keep the trees. This time-consuming and rather expensive initiative is well worth the effort, as deciduous trees are essential for life.
At our Ardooie HQ, we need more parking space in front of one of our main buildings. We received a building permit for a car park and 10 trees had to be uprooted to make room. The initial idea was to replace those 10 trees by new trees on the new parking lot. The idea changed and the 15 existing trees have all been transplanted to another area at our Ardooie HQ. It would be a pity to cut down so many beautiful trees while we have this alternative. Two of the new trees will shade one of our employee picnic spaces on those lovely summer days.
Moving trees towards biodiversity
The tree transplantation process took place on February 22, 23 and 24, 2021. The first day, the landscaping team checked whether there were any pipes that might cause problems during the excavations. Then, on the 23rd of February, the trees were moved from their old location to the new one.
Finally, on the final day, a tree climber has pruned the crown of the trees. This is a necessity as the crown can only be as large as the roots of the tree if we want to encourage growth. For replanting the trees, we had to cut the roots from about 10 metres to 2.60 metres, which had to be done for the crown too.
In addition, the trees were secured to make sure that they don’t fall over and the trunks were protected against evaporation.
Moving trees for shade
Moving an already fully developed tree permits us to benefit from having the shade of a large tree and to gain time compared with a new planting. Of course, the obvious advantages of having that many trees around still count, such as how the trees filter the air and how they help moderate temperatures and how they can serve as a windbreak.