I enjoy reading the posts here- lots of concerned professionals it seems! I just wanted to take a minute and tell you all about a new technology that will alleviate the damage to tree roots that results when silt fencing is installed on construction sites. Filtrexx Intl. has introduced a technology that not only has proven ten TIMES more effective at filtering sediment, but is also more enviro. friendly. They are called compost Filtersoxx and basically a tube of material such as HDPE, nylon, or cotton (depending on the planned obsolesence) is filled with tested compost. It's important that the compost is tested to make sure there aren't noxious weed seeds or critters alive in it. The ends are tied and then it is simply placed on top of the ground- staking is sometimes necessary, but the weight of the filled socks prevent them from moving unless there is a steep slope or something. Imagine that those tree roots aren't cut during the trenching of silt fencing! We're pretty excited to be a part of this new process in our area- other areas are using it as well, with some of the big developers like Duke Weeks and Beers Skanska. Learn more at www.filtrexx.com and the next time you're asked for advice about tree preservation where erosion must be controlled, I hopw you'll give this a try. Costwise- it's very competitive with the existing tools!