How do you dig up a tree????

[Junkman]

I have some trees on the property that I would like to relocate on the property. What is the correct way to dig up an established tree? They presently are about 10' to 14' in hight and have a diameter of about 3". Most are either Maple or Oak.

 

[_RaT_]

Short of having a professional tree service do it, I slip the tooth bar on my bucket and get as much as I can. After you move it, get some ground cover like shredded bark to help retain moisture and keep the roots cool.

 

[AndyM]

How large of a radius would you have to dig around on a tree that size to get the roots out?

Is there a general rule of thumb to follow for this? I'm looking to move some oak trees also, between 3 to 4 feet tall. If there's an easy to follow guide for digging up trees of different sizes, please share.

 

[hockeyhead]

Use a long narrow ditch shovel, sharpened on the end and sink it as far as you can 2 feet around your 3" dia. trees creating a 4' circle cutting the roots. Then trench this circle 3' deep with a pick and shovel. then I use A 5/8' braided steel cable with slip hooks on each end to pull it out of the ground with my tractor. Bevel the area of the trench where to cable enters the hole to make sure the cable grabs the root ball at the bottom of the trench. That slip hook and cable will cut through that dirt grab and pulls on the tap root popping it easily out of the ground with a 4' dia. 3' deep root ball sitting there. then I use the fel to get under it and a racheting hold down strap wrapped around the trunk, hooked to the grab hooks on the bucket to steady it for transport to it's new home. Also do this in the fall. good luck

 

[Gatorboy]

First, transplant them in the late fall, early winter when they are dormant. If you do it now in the spring or in the summer -- your chances of success are extremely low.

A rule of thumb is for every inch in diameter of the trunk, you should dig 12-15" of diameter for the root ball. So for a 3" tree, you are talking 36-45" of root ball.

The oak will be the harder of the two types to successfully transplant. The tap root goes deep on oaks.

 

[Golfgar4]

Have you checked into renting a Bobcat with a tree spade? Depending on how many trees you want to move, it might be the easiest and most cost effective way of doing it. With the spade, you first dig the plug where you want to put the tree. Then you go get the tree and carry it over to the new hole you just dug and drop it in. Then go back and get the plug and put in the hole where the tree used to be. If you're lucky, you never even leave the seat of the Bobcat until you're done. /forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[Seat_Time]

Hi Junkman, Let me steer you to this site: www.forestryforum.com
Further, when you're there, go to the "Ask the Forester" forum, then scroll down to the post "Need tricky help to kill a small pine" This was a post that I'd made, and the discussion changed to saving and relocating the tree as opposed to killing it. Many good responses and rules of thumb about how much root ball, etc. Good luck.