Large tree transplants

Houthakker · 6th August 2007, 03:35 AM

What about cutting the circumference that you want to have and then filling the hole with soil that has no nutrients at all thus forcing regrowth inside the ball?

Sean Freeman · 6th August 2007, 03:58 AM

The theory behind cutting the root ball then back filling and encouraging root regeneration into the back filled trench (a trench that does not go all the way round the circumference but has sections still uncut) is to encourage as much new root generation as possible...these very very fine roots you must protect throughout the move.....explains the care taken wrapping the root ball and keeping it moist the whole time...so when the tree is lifted and replanted it already has hundreds (hopefully thousands) of new root hairs with which to begin reestablishing the required root mass and volume as quickly as possible.

The less stress we produce in an extremely stressful process the better.

Houthakker · 6th August 2007, 04:40 AM

Problem is the soil running away due to very short time that roots have been growing. These very fine roots dry exceptionally fast. Once we waited until winter and filled the ball with water which froze to ice, because of the very sandy, loose soil. Worked very good, tree is still alive and fertile after 6 years. Biggest problem was seeing to it that there was no ice at all left when refilling at the new plantingsite. After personal testing I found out that icy soil buried at a plantingsite app 80cm deep was still iced in july!

Biggest treereplant I've been with was a chestnut, weight 180 tonnes, app 105cm i diameter. Moved flat with the help of some enormous device to pull the tree over the soil with the help of metal plate that was hit under the tree. Sorry no pictures, to busy working.

Sean Freeman · 6th August 2007, 01:45 PM

Ha, mate the ice problem is one that we have not encountered here

, that would be trickey alright.
Interested to hear more about the "sledge" system with the 120T Chestnut since we are thinking of doing the same with a heavy tree....but have forseen many problems.

Did you use a bulldozer to pull the "sledge" ? The plate under the rootball how many sections, or just one? How far do you go with the drag?

Have the feeling in the end we will stick to the method we have used before but I kno this "sledge" technique does have its use.

Houthakker · 6th August 2007, 02:02 PM

We moved the tree 80 metres, containing two sheets that were welded together in the hole. A pneumatic hammer was just to hit it under the tree. Two very powerful winches pulled the tree to its final destination. Personally I favor lifting trees, less fuss around it, used and proved several times. Easier to make a costestimate.

soutz · 30th September 2007, 09:44 PM

awesome job. i have a phoneix to shift bout 8m tall. i know palms take a lot less set up due to the different root structure but still worried about green weight. any ideas or formulas????
great to see these kind of operations happening hopefully this will become the norm instead of the exception..

Sean Freeman · 30th September 2007, 10:59 PM

We use the general formula of 1.3 - 1.6 ton/m3 of soil, that is for general sandy loam, clay esp wet clay can get up to almost 2ton/m3, and if you have lots of rock that will also increas the mass.
The biggest problem with palms is that specific site conditions may result in you having far less root mass than you would like, this can be very troublesome for the lift (and the long term health of the palm too!!) load inversion is a real nightmare for crane operators...use a spreader bar between the crane and the load, this enables you to have more than 4 lifting points esp in the centre of the load so you can secure the crown and upper stem to prevent inversion. See attached diagram.

Doc6.doc

Ekka · 27th October 2007, 06:10 PM

Sean, any pics of how they're doing now please?

Sean Freeman · 27th October 2007, 07:04 PM

I'll get some this coming week though when I'm not sure Monday is nuts and Tuesday - Wednesday we're out at Charters Towers and Hughenden (plenty of pics of my old friend will be posted on my return very good news from Flinders Shire Council

re the explorer's tree

)

The two trees are looking good with the 1st transplant putting on the first proper new growth indicating roots re-establishing into the new soil profile.....with A. saman there is a noticable difference between very short lived emergency growth flushes (leaf size colour and density of bipinnate arrangements) and normal seasonal foliage, and its the latter which has been put out, a very good indicator.

Gerhard · 28th October 2007, 12:48 AM

absolutly unbelievably!

That was realy a big tree

Sean Freeman · 15th November 2007, 02:06 AM

Latest pics of our babies, almost at the end of the post transplant care period, I'll be writing to the developer to suggest they extend the care period another two months for the second tree as it still hasn't produced the kind of foliage (size volume and pattern) that I'd be truely happy about leaving uncared for.
But all in all very happy with the speed of root re-establishment, due in the main to the efforts of Tim in watering and treating the soil on a weekly basis for the past 7 months

Ekka · 15th November 2007, 02:23 AM

Nice, they're getting the best care they can.

PS: What's the deal with all the grass under them?

Sean Freeman · 15th November 2007, 03:00 AM

Ha ha that's grown through the outer edges of the mulch since Tim's been watering and drenching the soil

We would have spread more mulch but no way to get the truck in there...wheel barrows maybe or a small bobcat.frankly we've not had the time...couch seems to like the soil treatments too!!

treekiwi · 15th November 2007, 12:32 PM

Hi guys,
just wondering if you guys had thought of using an airspade for the intial cut and blowert the dirt away istead of applying water blaster pressure, just an idea, had 2 airspades imported for use at my previous employer, work well in the right situation...

Untitled Document

Sean Freeman · 15th November 2007, 10:51 PM

G'day mate

..yeah we did but our airknife is homemade and did (stil doesn't) have enough force to accomplish the task, a bought supersonic model would have done the job yes.

Mike Poor · 16th December 2007, 09:17 PM

MAN!!! Sean Those Lg. transplants always amaze me!

Oldtimer · 11th February 2008, 07:09 AM

Silly Question... How expensive is an operation like this with years of planning, tons of tools, heavy equipment and manpower? I assume that this developer had more money than common sense but ouch his credit card must still be burning hot for those trees to be moved.

Sometime back I saw some photos on line of a large tree move in California of some large oaks at the University of California ( I think).
There were protestors living on the trees for a year or so before they compromised and the University agreed to move the trees rather than chop them down. Those trees appeared larger in size, older and probably very valuable but they were on the way of the construction of a new (American)football stadium. You know, in the US we have our priorities a bit screwed up, football is more important than education! ( apparently it makes more money too!) The coach at the local University makes 2.5 million per year while the University President (the Big Boss) makes only 500K.

By the way Thanks Sean for posting all the info and the photos, great job!

6th August 2007, 03:58 AM	#52 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,521	The theory behind cutting the root ball then back filling and encouraging root regeneration into the back filled trench (a trench that does not go all the way round the circumference but has sections still uncut) is to encourage as much new root generation as possible...these very very fine roots you must protect throughout the move.....explains the care taken wrapping the root ball and keeping it moist the whole time...so when the tree is lifted and replanted it already has hundreds (hopefully thousands) of new root hairs with which to begin reestablishing the required root mass and volume as quickly as possible. The less stress we produce in an extremely stressful process the better. __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

6th August 2007, 04:40 AM	#53 (permalink)
Houthakker Gettin' motoring Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 34	Problem is the soil running away due to very short time that roots have been growing. These very fine roots dry exceptionally fast. Once we waited until winter and filled the ball with water which froze to ice, because of the very sandy, loose soil. Worked very good, tree is still alive and fertile after 6 years. Biggest problem was seeing to it that there was no ice at all left when refilling at the new plantingsite. After personal testing I found out that icy soil buried at a plantingsite app 80cm deep was still iced in july! Biggest treereplant I've been with was a chestnut, weight 180 tonnes, app 105cm i diameter. Moved flat with the help of some enormous device to pull the tree over the soil with the help of metal plate that was hit under the tree. Sorry no pictures, to busy working. Last edited by Houthakker : 6th August 2007 at 04:48 AM. Reason: incomplete

6th August 2007, 01:45 PM	#54 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,521	Ha, mate the ice problem is one that we have not encountered here , that would be trickey alright. Interested to hear more about the "sledge" system with the 120T Chestnut since we are thinking of doing the same with a heavy tree....but have forseen many problems. Did you use a bulldozer to pull the "sledge" ? The plate under the rootball how many sections, or just one? How far do you go with the drag? Have the feeling in the end we will stick to the method we have used before but I kno this "sledge" technique does have its use. __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

30th September 2007, 09:44 PM	#56 (permalink)
soutz Gettin' motoring Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: new zealand Posts: 43	Re: Large tree transplants awesome job. i have a phoneix to shift bout 8m tall. i know palms take a lot less set up due to the different root structure but still worried about green weight. any ideas or formulas???? great to see these kind of operations happening hopefully this will become the norm instead of the exception..

30th September 2007, 10:59 PM	#57 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,521	Re: Large tree transplants We use the general formula of 1.3 - 1.6 ton/m3 of soil, that is for general sandy loam, clay esp wet clay can get up to almost 2ton/m3, and if you have lots of rock that will also increas the mass. The biggest problem with palms is that specific site conditions may result in you having far less root mass than you would like, this can be very troublesome for the lift (and the long term health of the palm too!!) load inversion is a real nightmare for crane operators...use a spreader bar between the crane and the load, this enables you to have more than 4 lifting points esp in the centre of the load so you can secure the crown and upper stem to prevent inversion. See attached diagram. Doc6.doc __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

6th August 2007, 03:35 AM	#51 (permalink)
Houthakker Gettin' motoring Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 34	What about cutting the circumference that you want to have and then filling the hole with soil that has no nutrients at all thus forcing regrowth inside the ball?

6th August 2007, 02:02 PM	#55 (permalink)
Houthakker Gettin' motoring Join Date: Jul 2007 Location: Sweden Posts: 34	We moved the tree 80 metres, containing two sheets that were welded together in the hole. A pneumatic hammer was just to hit it under the tree. Two very powerful winches pulled the tree to its final destination. Personally I favor lifting trees, less fuss around it, used and proved several times. Easier to make a costestimate.

27th October 2007, 06:10 PM	#58 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 5,664	Re: Large tree transplants Sean, any pics of how they're doing now please? __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

27th October 2007, 07:04 PM	#59 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,521	Re: Large tree transplants I'll get some this coming week though when I'm not sure Monday is nuts and Tuesday - Wednesday we're out at Charters Towers and Hughenden (plenty of pics of my old friend will be posted on my return very good news from Flinders Shire Council re the explorer's tree) The two trees are looking good with the 1st transplant putting on the first proper new growth indicating roots re-establishing into the new soil profile.....with A. saman there is a noticable difference between very short lived emergency growth flushes (leaf size colour and density of bipinnate arrangements) and normal seasonal foliage, and its the latter which has been put out, a very good indicator. __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

28th October 2007, 12:48 AM	#60 (permalink)
Gerhard Gettin' motoring Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Austria Posts: 13	Re: Large tree transplants absolutly unbelievably! That was realy a big tree __________________ www.treetec.at

15th November 2007, 02:23 AM	#62 (permalink)
Ekka Eric Frei Administrator - Brisbane L5 (Dip) Hort Cert III Arb + some Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Brisbane Posts: 5,664	Re: Large tree transplants Nice, they're getting the best care they can. PS: What's the deal with all the grass under them? __________________ Remember to use the "search" function, if you have answers/questions post them so everyone can benefit. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Qualified Brisbane Tree Lopping Brisbane Tree Care, Consultations and Arborist Reports Forum Sponsors

15th November 2007, 03:00 AM	#63 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,521	Re: Large tree transplants Ha ha that's grown through the outer edges of the mulch since Tim's been watering and drenching the soil We would have spread more mulch but no way to get the truck in there...wheel barrows maybe or a small bobcat.frankly we've not had the time...couch seems to like the soil treatments too!! __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

15th November 2007, 12:32 PM	#64 (permalink)
treekiwi Cruisin' Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: New Zealand Posts: 85	Re: Large tree transplants Hi guys, just wondering if you guys had thought of using an airspade for the intial cut and blowert the dirt away istead of applying water blaster pressure, just an idea, had 2 airspades imported for use at my previous employer, work well in the right situation... Untitled Document

15th November 2007, 10:51 PM	#65 (permalink)
Sean Freeman PDF King & Arborist Extrodinaire Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Townsville Nth Queensland & Gold Coast Sth Queensland Posts: 1,521	Re: Large tree transplants G'day mate..yeah we did but our airknife is homemade and did (stil doesn't) have enough force to accomplish the task, a bought supersonic model would have done the job yes. __________________ Sean Trees are poems that earth writes upon the sky, We fell them down and turn them into paper, That we may record our emptiness. - Kahlil Gibran

16th December 2007, 09:17 PM	#66 (permalink)
Mike Poor Cruisin' Join Date: Mar 2007 Location: Urbana, IL,usa Posts: 76	Re: Large tree transplants MAN!!! Sean Those Lg. transplants always amaze me!

11th February 2008, 07:09 AM	#67 (permalink)
Oldtimer Cruisin' Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Austin TX Posts: 56	Re: Large tree transplants Silly Question... How expensive is an operation like this with years of planning, tons of tools, heavy equipment and manpower? I assume that this developer had more money than common sense but ouch his credit card must still be burning hot for those trees to be moved. Sometime back I saw some photos on line of a large tree move in California of some large oaks at the University of California ( I think). There were protestors living on the trees for a year or so before they compromised and the University agreed to move the trees rather than chop them down. Those trees appeared larger in size, older and probably very valuable but they were on the way of the construction of a new (American)football stadium. You know, in the US we have our priorities a bit screwed up, football is more important than education! ( apparently it makes more money too!) The coach at the local University makes 2.5 million per year while the University President (the Big Boss) makes only 500K. By the way Thanks Sean for posting all the info and the photos, great job!