What’s a tree spade – and can you actually dig up a tree with it?

Trees don’t always end up growing in the right place, and there are many reasons why you might need to move one. Lack of sunlight, lack of water, overcrowding, being a potential danger or planned construction are all reasons why a tree might need to leave its current home. As well, for landscaping reasons, it’s sometimes necessary to move pre-grown and established trees to new locations, so you don’t have to wait years to enjoy the benefits of fully-grown trees. Whatever the reason, it’s very common for trees to need removal, and usually its preferable for the tree not to be destroyed.

Luckily, there are other options rather than just ripping the tree out or chopping it down. You can preserve the tree and keep it alive and thriving by relocating it to a better position. And the easiest way to do this? Using a tree spade. Yes, a tree spade is a thing, and it’s a very effective way of relocating a problem tree. If you’ve ever wondered how trees can be moved easily and without disturbance, here’s how it’s done.

So, what exactly is a tree spade?

A tree spade, just as it sounds, is a specialised machine that is designed to dig up, remove and transplant a tree with minimal disruption to its growth. It will carefully extract the tree from its current location, allowing it to be moved and transplanted with a very high survival rate compared to traditional methods. This high survival rate is due to the fact that the root system can be kept largely intact, while being moved quickly and efficiently.

How does it work?

A tree spade is composed of four straight blades that meet at a single point at the bottom and open out towards the top. It looks somewhat like a large, open bucket, and is mounted onto a skid steer loader. The large blades are opened to fit around the tree and driven into the ground to extract the roots. They encircle the tree and close under the root ball, severing the roots from the soil, and the tree and its roots are simply scooped out of the ground. This amazing machine allows trees to be lifted and removed in a matter of minutes, rather than the job requiring hours of back-breaking hand-digging.

There are a wide variety of tree spades around, all designed to work on different sizes of tree. Here at Heritage Tree Care we use the Model 44 Big John nursery digger, that can efficiently move trees with a trunk up to 4 inches in diameter. This handy tree spade is reliable, durable and designed to make relocating a tree efficient and simple.

What are the benefits of using a tree spade?

As mentioned above, the main benefit of tree spade use is saving significant amounts of time and effort. Other benefits include:

• being able to transport mature trees that would be hard to move otherwise
• a higher survival rate for transplanted trees
• preservation of trees that would otherwise be destroyed
• the ability to move established trees to landscape an area, rather than waiting for saplings to grow
• saving of labour costs required for hand-digging and removal

How is the tree transported?

Once the tree has been lifted from its site and secured in the tree spade, it’s ready to be transported to its new location. The tree is usually transported while still in the grasp of the spade, to make the process easy and help prevent damage to the roots.

Preparing for replanting

Once the tree reaches its new destination, it’s not just a matter of dropping it into the ground and hoping for the best. There’s work to be done to plant the tree correctly. A new hole will need to be dug to the appropriate size, and then backfilled with the right type of soil once the tree has been carefully positioned. Mulch should be added around the tree base to help supress weeds and retain soil moisture. Our expert arborists will ensure that your tree is given the best chance of survival when being replanted.

Before you dig up a tree

The process sounds easy – and it is – but there are a few steps to go through before you can just dig the tree out of the ground and move it somewhere else. Before any tree can be moved, it’s necessary for a professional arborist to assess the tree’s size, state of health and suitability to be relocated. A tree needs to be healthy before it can be moved, as the process of moving puts the tree under a great deal of stress. Unhealthy trees are not suitable candidates for relocation, and would likely need to be removed instead.

Can I hire a tree spade myself?

It’s not a good idea to do so. First, the cost of hiring one of these mechanical marvels is hefty. And second, like any piece of heavy equipment, a tree spade needs skilled operation and is a job for the professionals. Get in contact with Heritage Tree Care’s highly experienced arborists for help relocating trees in Brisbane, Redlands, Toowoomba and the Gold Coast here.

For more on tree removal, discover everything you need to know before you relocate a tree here.

Tree spades are the key to easy and efficient tree transplantation, and are incredibly useful for moving trees that no longer work in their space, without causing them undue damage. Tree spades have revolutionised the process of moving a tree and save time, money and effort, reducing jobs that previously took days to complete to mere minutes. Get in contact with Heritage Tree Care if you’d like to know more about our amazing tree spade – we service all areas in Brisbane, the Gold Coast, Redlands and Toowoomba.