Planting trees has a huge impact on our communities. Most people are aware of the typical tree planting process. This usually includes a small diameter tree where the roots what is often referred to in the industry as balled and burlapped, where the tree is dug from the field and then the “root ball” wrapped in burlap. These trees are fairly easy to plant by hand, depending on the size of the root ball, because of their size and are readily available at our nurseries. In some instances, planting a larger tree would be more appropriate than these smaller trees. This is when a tree spade should be involved and utilized for the planting process.
A tree spade is a machine that mechanically digs a tree and can then transport the tree to a new planting location. This process is called, tree transplanting. Tree spades come in a variety of sizes and have the capability to transplant very large trees with a high success rate of survival for the tree. They are very useful machines since they can be used to move healthy trees from one location to another.
There are a variety of reasons to one would want to transplant large trees. One of the most common reasons is to relocate a healthy tree that would otherwise be removed due to some type of construction project. For example, if there is an addition being added to a home and a large tree is in the location of the new construction. This tree could be transplanted to a new location where it could thrive.
Landscaping projects are another reason to transplant trees. Adding large specimen trees to a new landscape can really make an impact and provide immediate satisfaction, whereas a smaller tree cannot and will take a longer period of time to reach maturity. A brand new, large tree certainly creates a talking point as people enjoy their new landscape. Not to mention the value that large trees provide to the surrounding area and wildlife. There are also landscape projects where people want to provide some privacy to their property without building invasive structures. In this case, transplanting several large trees and placing them in a strategic way can immediately provide that privacy. Smaller trees can take several years, if not decades, to mature to the size needed to provide privacy.
Sometimes trees are planted in the wrong location, so they are unable to grow to their maximum potential. Rather than just removing these trees and replacing them with a different species, they can be transplanted with a tree spade to a new location where they can thrive. For example, if there was an evergreen tree that was planted along a roadway where it is getting exposed to salt damage, it could be transplanted to a location away from the road where it can reach its full potential.
Large trees provide numerous benefits to our communities. The more opportunities we have to preserve our large trees, rather than removing them, the better. By simply putting a tree spade to use we can not only save a tree that would otherwise be removed, we can transplant it to a space that will allow it thrive and reach it’s maximum benefit. Tree spades are certainly a tool for planting, but they are also a tool for helping to preserve larger trees, which exponentially provide a greater benefit to our environment and communities. As Arbor Day approaches, keep in mind that it is good to plant trees of any size, but what is even more important is to care for, maintain and preserve our large, mature trees which exponentially improve the benefits attained by trains in our urban forest and communities. So, if you have a healthy tree that you are thinking of removing, contact an arborist to see if it is a good candidate for transplanting.
