UKTC Archive

Re: Moving a mature Ginkgo tree

Subject: Re: Moving a mature Ginkgo tree
From: Julian Dunster
Date: Dec 14 2006 04:51:50
This is not a big distance to move the tree. I moved a similarly sized Japanese maple (same sort of trunk size, not quite as high) last year and a further distance. Rather than lift it we decided to skid it along the ground. First of all we dug a deep trench on all sides beyond the drip liine. Then we laid a large steel rope around three sides and attached the two ends to a suitably large excavator and carefully dragged the wire through like a giant cheese wire, to root prune it. The trenches were then backfilled. We left the tree in place after that for about nine months, then reopened the trenches and built a simple wood pulling frame around it, lashed ropes to the frame and dragged the entire unit over turf to its new location. I used the dripline radius as the location for the frame. It seems to have done quite well. No sign of any stress or dieback and more cost effective (assuming it survives) than complex ball and burlap, and crane etc. It was not bonded which helped with the decision making process :)
Mind you, we have just had record breaking rainfall, winds, and snow storms, so thousands of trees just got clobbered, and I have not been back to look at this one.
jd 


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