Durable root barrier

The residents of the Emmakwartier in Alkmaar have been put to the test over the past year. To prevent the paving from being 'lifted' or cables and pipes from being damaged by the roots of the new planting - with all the inconvenience this entails - GreenMax installed root screens. The root protection screens used are based on recycled raw materials and are in turn completely recyclable. 

GreenMax offers all types of root guiding and root protection products. Sales Manager Sharell Hoogervorst explains the differences. "By root barrier, as applied by SCHOT Infra in the Emma Quarter, we mean screens that block the roots and prevent them from growing further. The screens are usually placed from slightly above ground level to the groundwater level. In this case, a total of 850 meters of these screens were placed with a height of 75 centimeters. To avoid a flower pot effect, screens should not be placed closer than 2 meters from a tree. If a root guide screen does need to be placed less than 2 meters from the tree, it is desirable to choose a root guide screen. These screens are equipped with vertical guide ribs that literally guide the roots downward to continue growing horizontally from there. This gives the tree more stability."

Cradle to Cradle
The root barrier in the Emma Quarter is of the RootBlock type, according to Hoogervorst. "We supply this type of HDPE screen in two thicknesses (1 or 2 millimeters) and various widths on rolls of 25 or 50 meters. RootBlock is produced from recycled raw materials. Biobased material is also increasingly being used as root screen nowadays, this is non-degradable but produced on the basis of biological raw materials." 

GreenMax offers all types of root guiding and root protection products.

The HDPE RootBlock used, on the other hand, is a Cradle to Cradle product. If the municipality of Alkmaar has other plans in x number of years, the screens can be removed from the ground and fully recycled by GreenMax. Root guiding and screening products are being used by more and more municipalities, according to Hoogervorst. "The initial investment may be slightly higher, but it pays for itself more than double over time. After all, the damage caused by tree roots and the associated repair costs add up to a lot."

GreenMax provides a total package of products specifically for planting and infrastructure protection in the urban environment. "Our products help trees survive in the increasingly urbanized world of concrete, pavement and buildings. On the other hand, they help protect infrastructure and trees from each other. Green in the city is incredibly important for the city's climate resilience and livability for residents," Hoogervorst concludes.