Trees are crucial in urban environments. They bring beauty, life and a taste of nature into built-up areas crowded with densely packed buildings and concrete and asphalt surfaces. Yet, historically, the importance of trees has often been underestimated in city planning strategies, and tree planting was often avoided because of perceived installation difficulties and anticipated disruption.
Today, however, the greenification movement is challenging these opinions and a movement towards integrating trees into urban environments is gaining momentum. (learn more)
Municipal authorities, planners and developers are increasingly knowledgeable about the transformational properties of tree protection systems and are actively looking for optimal solutions and installation processes.
The Wavin TreeTank was created to support this initiative. It’s an innovative solution designed to address the challenges of urban tree planting while maximizing the benefits of green infrastructure. Manufactured using 100% circular polypropylene, it represents an environmentally friendly option for municipalities looking to develop sustainable green initiatives. In this article, we’ll explore the urban tree renaissance, how to help urban forests flourish and the key role the Wavin TreeTank plays in achieving greenification.
Historically, integrating trees into urban environments has been challenging. Sidewalks, roads and buildings have limited available soil volume, restricting root expansion and leading to shallow root systems that struggle to find nutrients and water.
Traditional urban tree planting methods have often failed to account for proper water drainage and aeration, making it difficult for trees to establish themselves and thrive long-term. As a result, a high proportion of trees ultimately die.
Plus, as the tree roots search for moisture, they can interfere with underground utilities, sidewalks and utility infrastructure, leading to costly repairs and safety hazards. Wanting to avoid these drawbacks, municipal governments and planners have avoided including ideal tree numbers in new projects and sustainability programs.
But that’s all set to change. As cities worldwide experiment and learn from urban tree-planting initiatives, reliable best practice guidelines have emerged, helping municipal governments and planners to set up successful planting programs. These include:
Understanding the operating environment allows planners to choose the most suitable tree protection system. They should evaluate soil conditions, soil type, drainage capacity and available space.
It’s also important to consider the typical loads adjacent roads or sidewalks bear, identify existing underground utilities to avoid conflicts and establish what local regulations and urban planning guidelines apply.
Planners should select tree species with the water retention capacity to adapt and grow well in the chosen planting area. Then, they should establish the profiles of potential tree varieties' root systems to assess tree tank designs for compatibility with the selected trees.
Once urban planners have a grasp of the conditions trees need to thrive, the ground they’ll be planted in and the load-bearing requirements, they can choose the right protection solution. The type of soil used is crucial for the wellbeing of the tree.
A robust tree tank assessment should consider whether it can give trees access to the nutrients and water they need, installation efficiency, structural integrity, load-bearing capacity, and customization and flexibility possibilities. Another primary consideration is that the chosen tree tank is designed to provide ample uncompacted soil space to promote extensive root development, ensuring healthier and more stable trees.
Then, planners should investigate how efficiently the tree tank can be installed to minimize the time, cost and disruption involved. This is crucial because space is limited in urban environments and streets are heavily used by pedestrians and vehicles. Road and sidewalk closures for construction can lead to congestion, delays and economic losses for businesses and commuters.
The faster the installation and the more it’s aligned with broader construction schedules, the fewer the disruptions, allowing streets to reopen quickly. Maximizing installation efficiency also keeps labor and project costs down, making urban greening initiatives more financially viable.
Structural integrity and load-bearing capacity are also critical differentiating factors in tree tank choice. Planners should choose a tree tank engineered to withstand continuous traffic loads and occasional heavy traffic to the highest possible level. In particular, the tank needs sturdy pillars that don’t move, a strong bottom plate suitable for all applications and side plates that are easy to position. Additionally, the tank should have load-bearing covers that support sidewalk and road stability without restricting tree growth.
Finally, planners should assess how customizable and flexible the tree tank is. Ideally, a tree tank should have modular units that can be easily tailored to suit a variety of tree species and urban layouts and can integrate with existing underground utilities.
The designers at Wavin carefully assessed market requirements before creating the innovative Wavin TreeTank. Our goal was to engineer a tree tank to overcome the common flaws of modular tanks already on the market.
A key advantage of the Wavin TreeTank lies in its robust, rigid side panels, which are designed to prevent long-term distortion of surrounding sidewalks. Unlike tree pits made with flexible materials such as geotextile, which can allow compacted soil to push inward and deform the structure gradually, the Wavin TreeTank maintains its shape and integrity over time. This strength not only protects nearby surfaces but also ensures a stable growing environment for tree roots. It’s also simple to install, eliminating the need for complex assembly, precise alignment or additional reinforcements. This makes it perfect for tight urban spaces, helping to reduce disruption and keep costs under control.
TreeTank units can, on average, be installed five times faster than other tank systems, thanks to their advanced design, minimizing disruption. Due to their rounded edges, dedicated handgrips and rotating lid, they're lightweight and easy to handle. Push-fit functionality means modular units and accessories click into place without separate connection clips or pins for speedy assembly. In addition, the TreeTank’s strong, walkable top plate further supports quick, straightforward installation. Together, these factors allow rapid assembly without requiring specialized tools or extensive groundwork, reducing overall labor time and costs and ensuring that projects stay on schedule.
Wavin TreeTank’s flexible, modular construction is easily customized, so it’s simple to incorporate new and existing below-ground pipework safely and efficiently. Its modular nature is also adaptable, accommodating whatever size and shape of tree root box is required. The system’s flexibility makes it easy to ensure each tree is surrounded by the recommended 0.5m³ of loose, nutrient-rich soil per m² of tree crown projection. The TreeTank’s unique side panels separate external compacted soil from internal loose soil, creating a root protection system that promotes obstruction-free growth for well-developed roots. It also directs the roots downwards, where they can find ample water and nutrients.
In terms of stability, the TreeTank’s strong side panels allow for compacted soil around the structure, ensuring the finished system is robust enough to support significant side / lateral loads when installed in areas subject to traffic. Wavin TreeTank is designed to withstand continuous traffic loads.
Wavin TreeTank also has excellent sustainability credentials. As a proven solution with an impressive success rate, it supports urban trees in achieving 20% faster growth and a 20% larger crown diameter, capturing an extra 200-400 kg CO2 over 20 years.
The solution’s material also contributes to urban sustainability. It’s made from 100% circular polypropylene, which offers excellent, consistent properties and ensures a minimum 50-year lifespan. Manufacturing the TreeTank with recycled plastic cuts CO2 emissions by 80% compared to tanks made from new fossil raw materials. This process minimizes waste, directly reducing the project’s Global Warming Potential.
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Orbia’s Building and Infrastructure business Wavin is an innovative solutions provider for the global building and infrastructure industry. Backed by more than 60 years of product development experience, Wavin is advancing life around the world by building healthy, sustainable environments for global citizens. Whether it’s to improve the distribution of clean drinking water, to make sanitation accessible for everyone, to create climate-resilient cities, or to design comfortable living spaces, Wavin collaborates with municipal leaders, engineers, contractors and installers to help future-proof communities, buildings and homes. Wavin has 12,000+ employees across approximately 65 production sites worldwide, serving over 80 countries through a global sales and distribution network.