StormTank Urban Root System Supports Tree Growth at USC
Soil Cell Solution Helps USC Grow Healthy Trees and Cut Costs
In the summer of 2015, the University of South Carolina started construction on a new track and field facility. The project included a new 400-meter track, spectator grandstand, extensive promenade, and a series of canopy trees overlooking the grandstands. A key goal of the project was to ensure healthy tree growth, providing lasting shade and enhancing the landscape.
These trees were surrounded by brick pavers, underground utilities, and the grandstand facility itself – each requiring high levels of soil compaction that would limit the root space available to the trees and potentially prevent the trees from reaching maturity. The University of South Carolina prioritizes the long-term health of the canopy trees on campus, so the landscape architect and civil design team specified a modular suspended pavement soil cell for these trees – providing a lightly compacted soil volume for healthy tree root growth.
Value Engineering leads to cost savings with stormtank urs
The soil cell originally specified for the project was not a Brentwood product. However, the university decided to pursue value engineering alternatives after receiving cost feedback from bidding contractors. Brentwood proposed a 30-inch-tall StormTank Urban Root System (URS) design that reduced the cost of the soil cell system by approximately $45,000! The university chose the StormTank URS over the specified soil cell product and installed it in summer 2016.
eight years later: arborist assessment confirms strong root growth
After nearly eight years of tree growth, on April 24th, 2024, Brentwood hired a certified arborist, Fulgham’s Tree Preservation, to return to the site and assess the condition of the trees installed with the StormTank URS soil cell system. Fulgham began inspecting the trees above and below the ground using TRU (Tree Radar Unit) System technology – a cutting-edge approach to assessing a tree’s root system using ground-penetrating radar. TRU scanning allowed Fulgham to map the extent and density of the root system for each tree. Fulgham also scanned the trees with a LiDAR drone.
brentwood Supports USC’s Vision for a Greener Campus
All of the inspected trees demonstrated healthy root density, an especially positive outcome for trees growing in an urban setting. Over the past eight years, the URS successfully protected and supported their root development in this challenging environment. Brentwood is proud to contribute to USC’s commitment to maintaining a vibrant campus filled with large, healthy trees for years to come.
