Putting in a Driveway thru old growth Ohia forrest

[NextStopPuna]

Any recommendatons on how to proceed in putting in a 700' driveway thru old growth Ohia's without damaging their roots & killing off the trees on both sides of the driveway?
I have seen driveways put in with a bulldozer ripping up the lava & cutting the roots of all the neighbouring trees, killing them off.
Do the roots grow on top of the lava, into the lava or both?
I was thinking of having the bulldozer go in without ripping the lava, to squash down the vegetation & then put in layers of rock to build up the driveway.
Any suggestions on how to proceed would be appreciated.

[lquade]

when i had my first driveway cut in with an excavator with hammer and i didnt lose a single ohia (along the sides of drive) even those that had large roots severed. when i did the back lot with a d9 every tree within about 20feet started dying off right away. i am thinking it was more the compression of the heavy d9. i could be wrong, this is simply an observation, as i tried to protect my ohia also..

[kalakoa]

i am thinking it was more the compression of the heavy d9.

This is pretty much exactly how it happens. A small excavator doesn't weigh enough to cause large-scale root system damage.

Rule of thumb: use the smallest machine necessary to do the job; the land will thank you.