Big Tree Transplanting
Big Tree, Inc. specializes in transplanting and installing large landscape-size shrubs and trees. Transplanting is performed by machine digging with a 'Big John' hydraulic tree spade.
The cost of moving trees thirty feet tall with a 90 tree spade can range from several hundred to several thousand dollars. For example a 30 tall specimen quality pin oak has a retail price tag in the nursery of $2000; the cost of transplanting it on the same site is $900. Similarly, you can expect the cost of transplanting a 24 white pine (retail value $2700) to be $650. Typically the cost of moving a large tree reflects the factors that bear on difficulty, risk and access. Cost is also affected by whether you have many trees, a few trees, or only one to move and the distance (over the road).
Any size tree can be transplanted, but not every tree is a candidate. The question is whether the tree will survive and thrive. Although a 90 hydraulic tree spade can comfortably move a 9 diameter, 35 tall tree, this guideline may enlarge depending on season, weather, species, site and post-transplant care. Knowing what to do to assure survival of a mature tree takes years of experience. That is why successful transplanting is a job for professionals.
Trees can be moved on the same site, or from one site to another. In many cases trees can be moved 12 months a year, provided conditions are right. More than size and shape, location or site conditions, cost frequently determines whether a tree will be moved.
Trees are the structural anchors in a landscape. Fast-growing trees take years to mature, while slower-growing species like oaks and sugar maples take decades. So when you plan a construction project like a pool or addition, or want to expand a driveway or build a sun room, think about transplanting trees already on site. Or if youre building on a vacant site, think about how classy the new building will look if framed by newly planted mature trees.
