The Forestry Forum

Talked to a fellow last night that is having some apple trees transplanted on his place. From what he said they take a spade mounted on a tractor dig the tree and put it in the ground at his place. Is this a wise move? Seems to me the tree would die by pulling up the roots. Anyone ever done this?         thanks.....marty

I am sure the foresters will jump in here and comment on when, where and how, But here is a link to the tree spade I am sure the fellow was talking about.

TREE SPADE (http://www.vermeer.com/equipment/tree_spades/)

It shouldn't be any problem if done by someone experienced in use of the tree transplanter (tree spade). Commercial tree services do this on a regular basis. I've seen a lot of trees of various species transplanted with great success. The tree spade can transplant larger size trees, usually up to 4" diameter with great success. Its a great landscaping tool for moving and transplanting trees.

Thanks for the info but I guess some of these tree are bigger than 4". are you talking 4" in dia around the trunk? I will have to go up and look  at these trees this spring to see exactly what dia they actually are. thanks a bunch for the info...marty

Yes, 4" diameter at breast height is kind of the rule of thumb though larger  diameter sizes can be transplanted, but with more risk of survival. Adequate ground moisture is also critical to survival.