Building With Trees Awards

These developers have been named to receive Building With Trees Awards of Excellence by The Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of Home Builders.

Building With Trees Awards of Excellence 2003

Conservation-minded builders and developers around the country have received the 2003 Awards of Excellence in the Building With Trees Recognition program. The program, sponsored by The Arbor Day Foundation in cooperation with the National Association of Home Builders and FireWise Communities, recognizes builders and developers who save trees during construction and land development.

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Residential Development Category of 101 to 500 lots

The Eagles Club at Quail Hollow, developed by Pulte Homes of Ohio, Concord Township, Ohio, with the tree expertise of Davey Resource Group. The project design team visited each established tree several times in the planning of this 115-home development. Significant trees to be saved were flagged and homes were carefully sited around trees based on the initial assessments of the design team. A booklet explaining the ideas used to preserve trees was produced to help educate homebuyers about how the homes were strategically located and built. • Pulte Homes of Ohio, 30575 Bainbridge Rd, Ste 150, Solon, OH 44139, 440-349-9640 • Davey Resource Group, PO Box 5193, Kent, OH 44240, 330-673-5685

Residential Development Category of 50 or more lots

The 4,400-acre Fish Hawk Ranch, developed by Newland Communities, Lithia, Florida, with the tree expertise of Systemic, Inc. FishHawk Ranch, located in the Tampa Bay area, combines 1,200 homes and 1,500 acres of open space and preservation land, with 18 miles of recreational trails. In addition to preserving and transplanting existing trees, developers landscaped with native species to reduce irrigation needs. Utility lines were installed under streets to save trees lining sidewalks and curbs. • Newland Communities, 15310 AmberlyDr, Ste 105, Tampa, FL 33647, 813-631-0306 • Systemics Inc, 103 Golden Pond St, Aiken, SC 29803

Residential Development Category of Attached Housing

Riderwood Village, developed by Erickson Retirement Communities, Silver Spring, Maryland, with tree expertise provided by The Care of Trees. The Riderwood project earned distinction for cooperating with two counties in the planning of this 2,000-unit retirement community. The result was a tree conservation plan exceeding standards for both counties, with five distinct neighborhoods connected by tree-shaded paths. Judges noted Riderwood has been designed to allow residents to easily interact with nature. • Erickson Retirement Communities, 703 Maiden Choice Ln, Baltimore, MD 21228, 410-242-2880 • The Care of Trees, 22830 Quicksilver Dr, Dullels, V A 20166, 703-661-8001

Residential Development Category of Mixed-Use

Bailey's Grove, developed by Eastbrook Homes, Kentwood, Michigan, with the tree expertise of David Jensen Associates. Combining homes, condominiums, apartments and wooded open space, Bailey's Grove is a development that incorporates a variety of practices to save trees and reduce the impact of construction. Narrow streets, islands placed in the middle of cul-de-sacs, preservation of drainage and wetland areas, and clustering of buildings and new tree plantings led to Bailey's Grove being called "one of the best examples of how development should be done in Michigan" by the state Department of Environmental Quality. • Eastbrook Homes, 2130 Enterprise, SE, Kentwood, MI 49508, 616-455-0200 • David J ensen Associates, 1451 S Parker Rd, Denver, CO 80231-2706

Special Award for Saving Trees Through Transplanting

Waterchase, developed by Taylor Woodrow Communities, Tampa, Florida, with tree expertise provided by Ervin, Lovett, Miller. Developers of Waterchase transplanted more than 200 trees to the entrance drive of this 500- acre site. Consisting of a roundabout, clubhouse, 250 homes and the entrance drive thus far, Waterchase was also recognized for the preservation of 80 live and laurel oak trees in planning. • Taylor Woodrow Communities, 14401 Waterchase Blvd, Tampa, FL 33626, 813-792-1533 • Michael Hanley Landscaping Service, Inc., 3274 D Rd, Loxahatchee, FL 33470, 561-793-9269

Special Award for Integrating Education and the Environment

IslandWood, developed by The Brainerd Foundation, Bainbridge Island, Washington, with the tree expertise of Northwest Arborvitae. Built to house the Puget Sound Environmental Learning Center, IslandWood provides a learning experience to 4th and 5th graders on retreat to 255-acres of forest. Complete with a “living machine” that cleans and treats wastewater using natural processes, a restored pond and biomass demonstrations, the project used sustainability-harvested timber in 75 percent of the construction. • Northwest Arborvitae, 8318 26th Ave, NW, Seattle, W A 98117, 206-789-3283

Nonresidential Category for Institutions

Rodine Global Ministry Building, Bannockburn, Illinois, with tree expertise provided by The Care of Trees. This exemplary project on the campus of Trinity International University required construction of the building, parking lot and access road on an oak and hickory savannah. An inventory of existing trees led to layout changes that reduced construction impact on trees. Preservation fencing, pruning of roots and deadwood, and transplanting young saplings to other areas of the campus helped in successfully completing the project, and demonstrated the university's commitment to saving trees to students, faculty and staff. The Care of Trees, 28981 N Herky Dr, Lake Bluff, IL 60044, 847-980-1329

Nonresidential Category for a Public Building

Maple Valley Library, part of the King County Library System, Issaquah, Washington, with the tree expertise of Urban Forestry Services. Construction of the Maple Valley Library required displacing about a third of the 157 trees growing on the property. A detailed inventory helped determine which trees would be saved, and which could be moved to create a wooded area leading to the city street. Small excavations of the site were done by hand, and the project routed trenches and utility connections around root systems. Fines were assessed to ensure protection of trees, and replacement was required if any tree sustained damage during construction. • King County Library System, 960 Newport Way NW , Issaquah, W A 98027, 425-369-3301 • Urban Forestry Services, 15119 McLean Rd, Mt Vernon, W A 98273, 360-428-5810

Nonresidential Category for a Retail Building

The Wal-Mart Supercenter at Bradenton, Fla., developed by Wal-Mart Stores, Inc, with tree expertise provided by Steve Clark & Associates. Concern that residential homes wouldn't be buffered from the development off a new Wal- Mart Supercenter initially kept the site from being developed. Project managers gained approval to vary county regulations on parking spaces and islands in order to preserve trees. Construction was delayed to allow relocation of trees to the area perimeter to serve as a screen. A creek was added to help reduce the impact of storm water run-off. This helped create a public space between the residential and retail developments satisfying both citizens and developers. • Steve Clark & Associates, 1211 DryFork Creek Ln, Bethpage, TN 37022, 615-841-3080

Nonresidential Category for a Golf Course

The Daniel Island Club in Charleston, S. C., developed by The Daniel Island Company with the tree expertise of Kenneth A. Knox. Ranked 29th out of 100 courses nationwide by Golf Week as one of the Best Real Estate Courses, The Daniel Island Club is an excellent example of what can be achieved when developers and architects work towards a common goal of saving trees. With the help of arborists, developers were able to save 80 percent of the trees initially suggested for removal. Additional native species were planted to enhance the design of the course. • The Daniel Island Company, 230 Seven Farms Dr., Ste 201, Charleston, SC 29492, 843-971-3527 • Kenneth A Knox, PO Box 1340, Hendersonville, NC 28793, 828-693-8733

A jury of development industry and urban forestry professionals selected the award winners. Criteria considered includes: creativity and attention to protecting trees during planning, design and construction; planting and providing for long-term tree care; demonstrating a commitment to tree protection by having a certified tree-care professional on the development team; taking inventory of existing trees and using information to help preserve trees; and adherence to tree protection goals throughout the construction process. The Awards of Excellence will be presented to developers later this year at the Arbor Day Foundation's Building for Greener Communities National Conference, held Sept. 29 through October 1, 2003. The conference highlights the awards presentation and provides a national forum to discuss issues of tree protection during land development and construction.

In addition to the Awards of Excellence, the Building With Trees program also provides builders and developers the opportunity for recognition following the planning and design phase of a project. Applicants can register their commitment to building with trees by meeting certain criteria, including having a tree expert on the development team, a tree survey prior to planning and design, and a tree conservation plan. The builder and tree expert must also pledge to follow tree preservation guidelines during the construction and maintenance stages of the project. Those who register their pledge receive a plaque, marketing materials, and educational information to help showcase their commitment to trees to homebuyers, the public, and community officials.