Davey Tree : Urban Forestry Services : Project Profiles : Beverly National Cemetery, Beverly, New Jersey: National Cemetery Association


Beverly National Cemetery, Beverly, New Jersey: National Cemetery Association

More than 450 large oak trees line the roadways in Beverly National Cemetery. Davey Resource Group has been working with National Cemetery Administration (NCA) and U. S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) to ensure the protection of these trees during the removal and reconstruction of the Cemetery’s streets. The majority of the trees are located within several feet of the road and conflict with nearby curbs and pavement. If curb and pavement replacement were conducted in a conventional manner, the trees would likely be severely damaged.

In July 2006, Davey Resource Group met with representatives from NCA and USACE to explore the available options for street improvements compatible with tree preservation. Based on the suggestions by Davey Resource Group, the engineers implemented several modifications to the road design and specifications, including narrowing the road width by 2 feet, installing a root barrier fabric beneath the road, and having an arborist on site during construction.

Construction began in June 2007, and Davey Resource Group was hired to provide an on-site arborist for the duration of the project. The arborist’s primary responsibility was to ensure that no trees were damaged unnecessarily. In order to do this, it was necessary to create a working rapport and maintain constant communication with everyone involved with the project, including the general contractor, subcontractors, USACE, and the cemetery staff. The arborist consulted with the contractors during all construction operations that could potentially impact trees, and supervised the cutting of any roots.

Davey’s supervising arborist compiled a tree-by-tree record of daily construction activity and its impacts on the trees. If it was determined that the damage sustained to roots compromised the structural integrity of the tree, the arborist marked the tree for removal. The detailed record kept by the arborist provides a valuable tool to cemetery managers as they monitor the health of the trees in the future.