# What Size Red Oak Can be Safely Transplanted



## dean06919 (Jul 3, 2009)

Hello,

I would like to add a few shade trees to my front yard and was wondering what is the largest red oak, DBH or height, that I can safely transplant. The trees would come from the "back 40". I will probably use a large JCB with a extend-a-hoe and clam bucket to help carry out the task.

Any other suggestion, tips, or links would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Dean


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## Tree Pig (Jul 3, 2009)

just about any size if you can get the majority of the root structure out and have the means to move the tree. Of course you have to be able to get it standing again and support until the roots become strong enough to support the tree.


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## fishercat (Jul 4, 2009)

*Stihlomatic is right.*

if you got the money,you can go damn near as big as you want.

there are some amazing pictures somewhere of some monsters being transplanted around Atlanta a few years back.quite amazing to say the least.i'd say the bill was even more amazing.


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## ATH (Jul 5, 2009)

A few years ago I talked to a guy from Cleveland, OH that got $10K to go out to the Seattle area to move a 40"+ diameter tree. He used air excavation and a relatively light duty crane to move it bare root.

For digging trees, here is a link to the ANLA standards which _roughly_ call for a little over 10" of root ball per inch of caliper (more for smaller trees). Root balls over 20" should be 60% deep as wide. See page 15 and onward (as numbered on the bottom of the page - but it is the 31st page of the pdf document...) for details.


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## treeseer (Jul 5, 2009)

dean06919 said:


> I will probably use a large JCB with a extend-a-hoe and clam bucket to help carry out the task.


if the tree is near others you will run into a lot of roots that may make it impossible to get enough roots of the tree you want.

if you are near manistee call jim scarlata he is the pro there.


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## brnchbrkr (Jul 5, 2009)

dean06919 said:


> Hello,
> 
> I would like to add a few shade trees to my front yard and was wondering what is the largest red oak, DBH or height, that I can safely transplant. The trees would come from the "back 40". I will probably use a large JCB with a extend-a-hoe and clam bucket to help carry out the task.
> 
> ...



Your best chances, for survival will probably be in the Fall, Winter, or Spring.

That being said, Summer Time Moves with a Hoe start by Trenching out a Box around the Tree. As Big as the Tree and the Hoe can handle. 10" of Dirt per Inch Diameter measured 12" above the ground is a good minimum start.

Then Start Flooding your Trenches with water and let it all soak in and repeat and repeat. This is to try and minimize the transplanting shock....

After about a week or so, finish the job with your shovels, make your ball, use burlap, lasso, and then wrap with chain link fence and tighten down the fence around the outside of the ball.

Pretty sure you pull a cable under the ball to sever the tap root.

Put some Heavy Duty Straps around the ball and trunk and lift out of hole and either walk her over to new hole or set on steel plate and drag it

Of course smaller ones won't need as much preparation.

Aw heck....here is a video, no affiliation, but some might find it interesting....40' Red Oak Transplant.

Can't embedd in here...seems to be turned off..here is an link.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=71U27B0Nn90


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## Fireaxman (Jul 6, 2009)

Somebody told me a small transplant with a comparitively large root ball will soon pass up a large transplant with a comparitively small root ball.

Yeah, that's pretty ambiguous, but it gains some meaning when you see how many roots you have to cut to move a big tree.

I think it has some relevance in nursery grown trees also. Some times nursery container grown trees get root bound if they get too large, and it takes them a while to recover after they are transplanted.

I'm not an expert, and I cant quote my scource. Just $0.02 from the peanut gallerie. "I read it some where."


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