Large tree transplants

willem

Last week we did the first tranplants of this years season. Very early in the season, but these were political trees. Local authorities wouldn't give permission to cut them down and buildingcontractor had to start work this week. We have taken them out put them on transport and planted them at our nursery. After roadconstrucions are finished we have to put them back. If they are still alive.


One tree transplanted with birdhouse

Attached Thumbnails

           

 

Sean Freeman

Interesting lift??? Seems like all the transplants I see lately are rush jobs...have to be done now, NOW, forces the Arborist...if they are to do the job...into making concessions to the methodology when they know better.

We had one recently in WA that has been paraded on national TV as some great moment in transplantation in Oz its an absolute farce.

I dont like stem lifts at all, but know from your previous posts you/the company you work for understands the steps required for best practice so I'm not lecturing if you had no options then I guess you had no options...looks like you were forced to move trees that would normally not be considered suitable.

Eric Frei

willem, thanks for the pics.

I think you summed it up well when you said "if they live".

Sean, it's always incredibly hard to get data down the track. Lots of exposure and hype but then all is forgotten, however we might have some arbo's visit the site now and then.

Here's some websites I found on it.

Botanic Gardens and Parks Authority
Gardening Australia - Fact Sheet: Boab Transplant

a slide show on Youtube.

And a video is available on this link titled Boab Transplant
Gardening Australia - Video

And of course I lifted my own as back up, it's not the best but it certainly will do.

26.83 mb WMV www.treeworld.info/video/boabtransplant.wmv

__________________

willem

hello Sean,

I must say that 70 % of the tranplants we do are prepared in advance. At least one growing season in advance the roots are cut and the tree gets water and fertilicing to enhance rootgrowth in the root ball.
The stemlifting technique is the most common over here. For trees to about 25 tons. However we use it only when tree looses its leaves. Otherwise you end up what we call the bananaeffect. Pulling the bark apart.
These trees had to be lifted by a lifitingpin. We drill a hole in the stem and lift the tree on a metal rod that goes through the stem.
One of my collegues gambled and did a stemlift.

Eric Frei

Willem, in arb class we were discussing whether or not to plug the hole the pin was in.

The company that used that method a lot said they plug it with a wooden dowel for aesthetics, nothing else. What do you guys do?

Also, how do you sever (if you have to) roots directly beneath the tree?

__________________

Sean Freeman

Lifts anchored through the stem whether with holes drilled through the scaffolds/stems or just attached to them with straps is definately not best practice.

Transplanting established trees is a massive trauma to the tree already, without generating those kinds of additional forces through the branch architecture on through to the root crown.

Lifting frames under the root ball are really the best approach for all but the lightest, smallest trees. IMO

willem

We leave the hole open, plugging it up only creates an enviroment fungi etc. love. By leaving it open it can dry out. I've seen holes close within 2 growingseasons. I must stress that we only use this method in early autumn or late spring when trees are still active and the changes of ripping up the bark with a stemlift are to high.

With most tranplants we don't need ot sever the roots beneath the tree. I've done 100> transplants and did it one time. This was a Metasequoia with root 2 meters into the groundwater. We usaly dig the rootball as deep as the roots go, most times this is groundwaterlevel. When the crane comes for the lift, the crane pulls the final roots. Sometimes well over 5 tons pulling force. Not only from roots but also from sucktion.
This is me in a trench when cutting a rootball, i'm a about 7 feet tall.


Sean your right it a massive trauma and if possible should be avoided in the planningfase. Architects, citycouncils etc should make plans around existing trees, don't make planes and then say ooeeeppss there are some trees overthere worth saving, lets transplant them.
Sean we do have a lot of experience with stemlifting with straps and if done correctly in the winter or very early spring everything goes well.
If bark gets dammaged this is always seen directly and caused by the liftingtechnique beeing excecuted wrong or its late in season.
The techniques we use are for European species which have 4 seasons, I' m sure evergreen and tropic species are much harder to transplant in this manner.
This the way we transplant tree up to 5 tons. The rootball is 9 feet across. The crane can also drive with the tree in it's clamp??

Attached Thumbnails

   

Sean Freeman

A couple of very thought provoking vids from Willem's neck of the woods....trees can be such a drag!

willem

Here is a short clip of program about transplant I saw yesterday on tv.
Interesting lifting with the cilinders and the wheeled platform.
Science and Technology Topic Player for History

By the way Sean I know the guy who did that transplant, A good arborist with a lot of experience. The move was a rush job as well. At the last moment the local goverment decided to move it. After one day of pulling they left it sit for the night and then it was sucked in place, so the had to get a bulldozer for extra power to get it going again.
It's a Juglans not the best species for transplant but the rootball has a good size so I think it will be oke

willem

We use this machine a lot for smaller trees transplant. I already posted a picture once but here are some moving pictures.

Sean Freeman

Yes National Shade (aka Davey Tree Movers) really have some wicked tools, sandy soil profile there too.

I would agree with you the root ball size is a big element in long term transplant success,a great many variables in that particular calculation too.

willem

davey treemovers, I will search the net and hopefully see some more action.

willem

Hello Sean,
I have a question about the waterblaster you use in the begining of this thread.
Does the power of high pressure water cut the roots or do you just blast away the soil.
What are the machinespecifics??
How deep can you get in the soil without digging??

Sean Freeman

On that job the machine generated just over 3000 psi, it did cut through many fine smaller roots anything over 20mm we clean cut.

Side note on water blasters for Arb work, often the operator will cut through many roots bigger than 20mm, remove bark outer cambium from roots, both actions which tend to undermine the original tree protection intent in using the hydro-excavation technique in the first place!

So careful discussion with the operator required prior to works commencing!

I have reasonable experience with water blasters in various soil types they can excavate as deep as the wand is long but it does take time, is messy, and can be almost as destructive as excavation machinery if you are not careful.

The intention is to remove the soil and expose the root system without causing extensive damage to root tissues to permit clean cutting of roots and if deemed necessary treatment of the cuts. Good operators with an appreciation of the need to protect root tissue can be very effective, and efficient. But sadly it is not the answer to all root problems, not by a long mark.

In more recent works I have used pot-holing with hydro-excavation a very very useful means of locating the major structural roots and avoid destroying the supporting root plate when installing services etc.

willem

Sean thanks for the quick response.
Could you please explain this last part: "In more recent works I have used pot-holing with hydro-excavation a very very useful means of locating the major structural roots and avoid destroying the supporting root plate when installing services etc."
I think you are dealing here with the same problem I'm dealing with.
Dammage to treeroots when replacing the existing sewersystem.
A big problem in Holland because 80 % of our sewersystem has to be replaced in the next decades.

Eric Frei

What about a machine like this.

2002-VERMEER-V2050-Rotary Cutters-Turlock-CA

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________

Sean Freeman

What I meant was that using hydro-excavation is quick, simple and relatively cheap means to confirm the location of the major roots in the ground. When services have to be located within the root zone it is sometimes possible to thread conduits under the root plate without trenching through the roots.

Since we know that roots rarely follow the symmetrical idealised pattern shown in diagrams, sometimes previous works adjacent to trees, or the specific soil profile will result in very uneven root growth. Using the water blaster to open a small pothole in the specific location of proposed services is very efficient and effective.

willem

Hello Sean,
We had a demo overhere of a machine that can clean out a rootsystem with minimal damage.
There was also a demo of a groundradar to locate roots. The radar results were checked by cleaning out the rootsystem with the machine
See pictures

Attached Thumbnails

           

   

Sean Freeman

Good pics Willem
What did you think of the ability of the ground penetrating radar to find roots?

In the UK it has had mixed reception, also the price would seem to limit its use to the high profile bigger budget jobs....I have no personal experience of the radar.

Eric Frei

Willem, that looks like dry excavation, maybe better as no mud!

Maybe call it aero-vac or aerovation

__________________

willem

The results of the measurments with the radar were not very good. The guys who owned the radar said this was caused by the software which transfers the radarwaves into a two or three dimensional picture.
They first showed the two-dimensional picture which showed no roots in the first soillayer. After cleaning out the rootsystem we could all see that all roots were in the first layer. So big mistake.
But I'm convinced that this technique has a lot of potential. Especialy when keep developing beter software and create relaible 3-d pictures.

Eric Frei

Regarding heavy pruning of transplants another thread started here.

Heavy pruning prior to transplanting| transplanting stumps| Advanced Tree Transplant

__________________

Eric Frei

Making like a tree and leaving doesn't keep live oak from croaking

Attached Thumbnails

   

__________________

Sean Freeman

Sometimes you come across stories from other parts of the world that make you stop and think about how we value things here (where ever here is for you)...this one about a tree relocation in China is a prime example.

The news story reported in the Sun Newspaper UK is less than positive (the Sun is a really poor quality paper)

But this is what I call a ROOT BALL

Attached Thumbnails

   

phill ellison

thats a few dollars, you wonder why they don't just design the place on the other side and leave the trees where they are .

Eric Frei

In the grand scheme of things the price of moving that is SFA!

It's good to see China giving a shit about environmental issues, kudo's to the tree movers on that one.

__________________

Garry Brockley

wow amazing love to have seen that process from start to finish and yes the sun newspaper is generally not considered a serious one more of a joke than anything all upskirt shots and made up stories about this celeb or other.

__________________

treekiwi

That is very impressive!! Very good to see that the Chinese are taking some initiative to save the tree, a very good size root ball too should give it a fighting chance

__________________
www.urbantree.co.nz www.urbantreecare.co.nz

Eric Frei

Noozhawk.com

This company did the move.

Attached Thumbnails

 

__________________

Sean Freeman

Thanks for posting that Eric, good to see them commit time and money to such a tree, 7 month lead in time is great, hopefully a significant post move care program is to be followed too.