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Why Are So Many Trees Removed During Development?

  • Susan Mates
  • 1 day ago
  • 4 min read

Updated: 13 hours ago


If you've driven through Washington County recently, you've probably seen it happen. A grove of mature trees stands on a property. The next month, the site has been cleared, leaving bare soil and construction equipment preparing for a new subdivision, apartment complex, commercial building, or middle housing project.


For many residents, the question is obvious: Why do so many trees have to come down? The answer is more complicated than it first appears.


More Than Just the Building Footprint

When people think about development, they often focus on the buildings themselves. But construction requires much more than space for homes or businesses.


Roads, sidewalks, parking areas, sewer lines, water pipes, stormwater facilities, electrical service, and telecommunications infrastructure all compete for space. In many cases, the land must also be graded and leveled before construction begins.


Developers often argue that preserving mature trees is difficult because construction equipment can damage roots, soil grades may change, and underground utilities frequently occupy the same space where roots grow. Even if a tree is left standing during construction, damage to its root system can make it unstable or shorten its lifespan.


As a result, many projects remove most or all existing trees before construction begins.


What Happens to the Trees That Remain?

Sadly, trees that survive the initial clearing are not always safe. Construction activities can compact soil, sever roots, alter drainage patterns, and reduce oxygen available to root systems. Damage may not become visible for years. Trees that seem healthy after construction can gradually decline, becoming more vulnerable to disease, drought, and wind damage.


That is one reason why some developers choose complete removal rather than attempting partial preservation. Unfortunately, that approach can dramatically alter a neighborhood's character and environmental health.


The Hidden Benefits We Lose

When mature trees are removed, communities lose much more than scenery. Trees provide a wide range of benefits that scientists call "ecosystem services." 



Used with permission from L.A County Chief Sustainability Office


Large trees are particularly valuable because their benefits increase with size and age. A mature tree can provide exponentially more shade, stormwater interception, and carbon storage than a newly planted sapling.


While replacement trees are often required, it can take decades before they provide comparable benefits.

Impacts of Tree Loss

As development occurs, the loss of mature trees can make already warm areas even hotter. Pavement, rooftops, and other hard surfaces absorb and radiate heat, creating what are called urban heat islands. For older adults, young children, and people with health conditions, the difference between a shaded street and an unshaded one can be more than a matter of comfort—it can affect health and safety.


Wildlife feels the impact, too. When large areas are cleared, birds, pollinators, and other wildlife lose homes, nesting sites, food sources and travel corridors.  Even when nearby green spaces remain, fragmented habitat can make it more difficult for wildlife populations to thrive.


Can Development and Trees Coexist?

Increasingly, communities are asking whether development must require large-scale tree removal. Some cities have adopted stronger tree protection ordinances that require developers to preserve significant trees whenever possible, establish protected root zones during construction, or replace lost canopy at higher ratios.


Experts note that preserving trees is often easiest when it is considered during the earliest stages of project design. Adjusting road alignments, clustering buildings, reducing pavement, or modifying utility placement can sometimes save mature trees that would otherwise be removed.


Not every tree can be preserved, and our growing communities need new housing and infrastructure. But many planners and urban foresters argue that development and tree conservation should not be viewed as mutually exclusive goals.


A Question for Washington County

Washington County is expected to continue growing for decades. New housing, businesses, schools, and transportation improvements will all require space. The challenge is deciding what kind of communities we want to create.


Do we design neighborhoods where mature trees are treated as obstacles to development? Or do we recognize them as valuable infrastructure that helps keep our communities cooler, healthier, and more resilient? The answer will shape not only how Washington County looks in the future, but how it feels to live here.


When mature trees are removed during development, replacement planting is important—but it is not an immediate substitute for the canopy that was lost. It can take fifty years—or more—to replace the shade, stormwater interception, and wildlife benefits the tree had provided. As development continues across the county, that is a timeline worth remembering.


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Resources: 

Washington County Urban Forestry Resources

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