Tractors

[Tymurrey]

I have and the key is making sure the trees aren't too big for the spade. Honestly, a typical skid steer spade is only going to be 4' diameter at max which is going to limit you to a max of maybe a 5' tree depending on species. The machines will pick bigger trees but you don't get enough rootball for a good survival rate. If you want bigger trees and instant habitat, you really need to go truck mounted 90" or 100" which will be on a semi chassis. I've used skid steer spades, tow behind spades, and hired large truck mounted spades to move trees. At the end of the day, with the investment of time and money you make in the trees and moving them, a little TLC watering and fertilizing them is pretty easy to justify.

Thanks for the reply. I just hate seeing areas being broken up for farming and trees getting pushed over and piled up when i could possibly "repurpose" them. I guess i wouldn't be out much but time and some cost. They would be going in a pasture with no good way of watering them besides hauling water with nowhere close that would be good to pump out of.

 

[Lycanthrope]

I have and the key is making sure the trees aren't too big for the spade. Honestly, a typical skid steer spade is only going to be 4' diameter at max which is going to limit you to a max of maybe a 5' tree depending on species. The machines will pick bigger trees but you don't get enough rootball for a good survival rate. If you want bigger trees and instant habitat, you really need to go truck mounted 90" or 100" which will be on a semi chassis. I've used skid steer spades, tow behind spades, and hired large truck mounted spades to move trees. At the end of the day, with the investment of time and money you make in the trees and moving them, a little TLC watering and fertilizing them is pretty easy to justify.

Ill be using a skid mounted mover, most of my trees arent too big yet. Id guess its also good to move them when dormant if possible. Also taking a hose and some loose dirt and washing the dirt down where there are gaps left around the hole couldnt hurt. I was thinking if you are really ambitious you could use a cement mixer and dump some mud in the bottom of the hole so you know at least part of the plug you stick in there is going to have good contact with the surrounding dirt when the tree is put in there. When you move your trees is a great time to do some aggressive pruning. The less leaves and top growth the tree has left, the less water its going to require, which will give the roots some time to start growing before it dries out too much.