Matt Foti took these photos from last week’s big transplant project, and they illustrate some useful points.
Air-tool excavation is a very messy process, and it bears mentioning again that eye, ear, head, and face protection are really necessary. Mike Furgal is wearing a face mask here; a respirator would give him even greater lung protection. Blowing a good sandy loam is one thing; when pebbles and small rocks show up in the soil they become missiles, so long sleeves and pants should also be worn.
Here is what a well-tied tree looks like in transit. Note how the roots have been carefully pigtailed, and tiebacks to the tree's trunk are done neatly and professionally, to preserve the roots during excavation and the move.
This project took place in late July, during a week of 85-degree heat. Leaf turgor pressure was maintained throughout by the trees themselves (aided with some in-process watering).
Keeping the pigtails neat from the start makes unbundling and spreading the roots fairly easy. The tree is now resting in the crater dug for its new home; the crew will unbundle and spread the roots out radially, pack soil underneath them to help level the tree, and backfill, water, and mulch the transplant. Using a forklift allows the arborists to look under the root plate and gauge its bottom profile, which helps in shaping the floor of the planting crater.
Project arborists:
Matthew R. Foti Landscape and Tree Service, Concord, MA
Furgal’s Tree and Landscape, Northborough, MA
Deborah Howe
Taking Place In The Trees 
[…] 24, 2010 by Deborah Howe I just got a rough cut today of the video, shot last summer, of the moving of a very large (about 14″ caliper, 30′ height) London Plane Tree in Wellesley, MA. It’s taken a while to edit several hours of footage down to a half an hour, but it’s about […]
Deb,
We still have not used our air spade for tree moving. Courage will come with time. Your video would be helpful. We did use the spade this year for fern plug planting in an allee of old cherry trees to prevent root damage. I hope to see the results of that effort in the spring.
Hope to see you at NE Grows.
Hi, Art — The video should give you a better idea than the blog photos of how the work is done and what’s involved. It sounds as if you’re using one of the other really great applications for air, though — it’s excellent when you have mature plants that you don’t want to stress but do want to underplant. Do you have any photos of the fern plugs in place? I’d be happy to post them…See you at New England Grows!
For those who have read it, you will find a lot of important information here. I hope to have more posts like this that are very fun to read.
Thanks very much for the kind words. My designs often incorporate transplants, and it’s crucial to work with crews who know what they’re doing, why they’re doing it, and how to do it best. The resulting landscapes are definitely worth it.