Moving large trees... Managing young Acers

[OneLegJohn]

Is it possible to take 10-15 year-old trees and move them to open fields successfully with a backhoe? Will it stunt the growth so much it isn't worth it? We have so many young Sugar Acers, but they are too thick. What can we do to manage for the future? Will anything we move now produce in 15 years?

[WESTVIRGINIAMAPLER]

John,

Do you have a backhoe on your L3130 and how do you like the Kubota. I bought a L3400 last Dec, and so far, so good.

[forester1]

On wild grown trees they are probably too big to move. I would try to stay under 6 foot tall if moving. The problem is most of the roots are way out to the side and even with a big root ball, you will cut too many roots. It will take many years to regrow the roots to match the above ground tree. A smaller tree will have more of its roots intact and grow right away and catch up to a larger one moved at the same time.

You could thin out the maples, leaving the best ones with crowns spaced a few feet apart. That will increase the growth on them.

[OneLegJohn]

Brandon,

I just sent you a PM on the Kubota. We looked at the L3400. My dad was set on getting one. He like the bang for the buck! I chipped in the balance so he could have tilt steering and the Hydro. It is an awsome machine.

Nate

[maple flats]

My dad moved some black maples about 50 years ago and they all grew. They were between 15-18' tall and he dug them by hand, They did grow but it took about 15 years before they started to put on much size and now they are only about 14" dbh after 50 years, and 1 of 4 died a few years ago.

[OneLegJohn]

I am looking at planting some black maples for my children's sake. Not too many in NE Ohio. We have a ravine that runs through the property - it gets a bit soft in the creek bed. From what I've read the black maples can handle a moist soil. However, I think the best thing would be to move about 50 small trees to open areas. I want to thin with the intention of transplanting the removed trees.

[brookledge]

Other than the cost I'd say look for someone that has a tree spade. Maybe you can barter with a nursery and trade some syrup. The nice thing is that they take enough soil and roots without distubing to much and then fit right into the hole pre dug by the same spade
Keith

[OneLegJohn]

Good idea. I could rent a tree spade. If they have a 3 pt tree spade that would work. But the quickness of a Bobcat may just be easier to rent the whole thing. I am guessing that April will be a good time to move some younger trees.

[lew]

Not exactly sure how big the trees are that you plan on transplanting, but I can give you some input from my own experience. When I palnned on transplanting some trees from a woods where the saplings were as thick as hair on a dogs back, I asked an opld farmer that had done the same thing years earlier and this is what he adviced. Dig the tree in mid spring, when the trees are still in dormancy but there is no frost in the ground so you can dig. Dig as large a root ball as you can handle with the equipment at hand and be careful not to knock the dirt off of the root hairs. Tip the tree over and Wrap the root ball with burlap or somesthing that won't let the root ball dry out. Let the tree set there in the woods overnight so that the rootball freezes. Come back the next morning early and carefully move the tree to its new location, being careful through the entire operation not to knock the dirt off of the root hairs. Place tree in new hole, water well, fill hole with dirt and pack so there are no air voids to dry out the roots. For their first year of life in their new home you should water them regularly, after that they will be fine. We planted 20 trees 12 years ago along our driveway. The largest one was as big around as my thumb and 8 feet tall and the smallest was as big as my pinky and 5 feet tall. We lost one tree the first year do to mice girling it beneath the snow its first winter. we lost two others due to friend doing some brush hogging for us (that's another story). Now the largest tree is 7 inches in diameter and the smallest about 5. Height I am guessing at 25 feet. The old farmer I told you about did the same thing with larger trees, about 6 inch diameter, but he had a tractor and bucket, I had only a shovel and four wheeler. Hope this gives you some insight.

[OneLegJohn]

We have a loader, but how do dig a large root ball by hand....other than sweat!! Those old-timers had tricks. I am thinking that renting a tree spade may be the way to go.

[maplehound]

I too am planing on moving some trees in the future. My father tells me that after digging around the root ball you pull a chain through and under the ball to release it. He says he has done it a couple times before and it worked great.
Ron

[OneLegJohn]

Meaning, he loops the chain in the groove made by the shovel? And kind of cuts under the roots with the chain loop and a tractor? I do not understand, "through."

[maplehound]

yea you just pull it under the ball either with a noose or jsut with both ends tied to a tractor to cut off the underside roots.
ron

[markcasper]

lew--A farmer moved a 6" diameter maple with a tractor and loader-thats kind of hard to believe! I transplated some trees just a few months ago the end of November and I found that a 3 1/2" diameter could not be touched with our JD 4020 and 148 loader. All I did was spin, so i had to give up and find some smaller ones.

As for transplanting, I have always had good results doing it in the late fall, just before freeze-up. An old-timer once told me. Do it in the fall and the roots will grow in the spring, rather than the leaves. Do it in the spring and the tree puts more energy into the leaves instead of the roots. I find this to be true b/c I always have had a higher mortality rate with spring-planted trees. Mark

[lew]

Mark, I talked with the old farmer friend of mine and yes it was a 6 inch tree. He did move it with the loader, but only on to an old car hood that he dragged with the tree on it. He said it was a lot of monkeying around trying not to damage the root ball or the tree itself, that's why he did it with the root ball frozen. The root ball will take quie a bit of knocking around when frozen. As to the time of year, what your friend said is basically what mine said (as far as I see it). Move the tree when it is dormant. Late fall or early spring before it comes out of dormancy. Your friend just said to do it earlier than mine. I would guess either way would work. Although as life goes on, I am beginning to think that the best time to do anything is when you have the time, I just can't seem to find enough.

[markcasper]

Isn't that the truth!!! Mark