severely non-av topic!!

woodstock

woodstock

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I won't go into details and bore you, but, does anyone know how feasible it is to replace fairly mature (30+ feet tall) trees? i.e. how much would it cost? I know it wouldn't be cheap.

helping a friend figure this out if anyone wants to know.
 
woodstock said:
I won't go into details and bore you, but, does anyone know how feasible it is to replace fairly mature (30+ feet tall) trees? i.e. how much would it cost? I know it wouldn't be cheap.

helping a friend figure this out if anyone wants to know.
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What kind of trees? Developers do that with palm trees all the time around here, because palm trees have smallish root balls. OTOH, banyan trees have very broad root balls and are very difficult to relocate.
 
It can be done but it is pricey. Moving costs are bad enough (I'd guess $1k+ today, I haven't priced it recently). Depending on the tree the cost of the tree can be even worse. If you want a 30' Dutch Maple the cost of the tree is usually virtually zip -- the arborist knows a list of areas to be clear cut in the imminent future. On the other hand, if you want a mature, 30' Rainier Cherry tree the price will cripple you.

The tool used is a huge, four sided, inverted pyramid like bucket that is hinged on three of the corners and opens on the fourth. The bucket is used to dig a matching hole at the planting spot, then the bucket is used to surround and remove the transplant tree root bundle and all. The transplant tee and soil "pyramid" is placed into the matching hole and the tree is staked to prevent it's toppling until the roots grow out.

Try the yellow pages under "arborist" or "tree service", or, since you are in the DC area, call the Georgetown University grounds/maintenance group and ask who they use.
 
You CAN do it cheaply, you know.

Buy saplings, plant them, feed and water them, and wait 20 years... ;)
 
Last time I did it, which was some time ago, I located the trees and hired the tree spade service for $50/hour. It was about 5 hours all told including his travel time. This was a 4' spade. A thirty foot tree would need a bigger unit. Probably over $100 today.

As other mentioned it will depend on the tree. Some species cannot be transplanted with any success at all. Some like poplars don't even need a root ball. I remember in Holland they were planting large poplars like you'd set a telephone pole. With a high water table they had great success. The operator or arborist should know what works in your area.

Eric
 
sigh.

I'll give a synopsis. thank you for the info.

a friend of mine, late 50s, called me in tears last night. Her husband is in his 60s and nearly ready to retire from Ford in Michigan.

They have spent months finding their perfect location for their retirement home, near their daughters (also in Michigan).

They found a beautiful large wooded lot. not sure how many acres. it was very important to them to have woods, they wanted the house to butt up to the woods and have the deck overlook the woods, and so on. the trees are actually more like 35-40 feet tall and pretty dense she said - she estimated 2 feet between them all but I don't know, didn't see pictures. they closed on it and are prepping to build.

they also have an HOA which has very strict rules about clearing of trees. in other words, you can't - not without express permission. obviously to do the house they got permission for the stuff where the house would sit.

apparently they did the walk with the builder about clearing enough to build. there were blue taped lines set up, not sure if it was the surveyor who did that, or what. beyond the lines, no cutting - but she did ask them to clear out the dead logs lying around, past the blue taped lines. he said sure, no probs, but to do so is an extra 500 bucks.

she showed up yesterday afternoon to see how far they had gotten. the builder himself was not there but his laborers were.

sit down... are you sitting?

THEY DENUDED HER LOT.

they razed her lot!! there was one small strip of trees left, and they even had hauled out the log chipper and had fed all her trees into it. she was so upset, she was crying and she even said to the guy "well, what made you stop, why stop there?!!" and he said "the chipper broke, we had to go get a spare part". he was literally waiting for his helper to get back and replace it so they could finish!!

she estimates 500 trees gone. mind you, I haven't seen a picture so I have no idea. she may be so distraught she's overestimating, I do not know.

naturally I advised her to see an attorney among many other things. I'm upset and I'm not even a part of this.
 
Well, Beth, sounds like the cost is immaterial. It's the builders problem.
 
wsuffa said:
Well, Beth, sounds like the cost is immaterial. It's the builders problem.
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agreed. but I'm trying to impress on my friend that she can't sit back and take it. she's upset but is so confused about what to do and she's afraid of getting the builder mad at her and "messing up her perfect house plans" (like he didn't already? good God).

I'd have his head on a platter right about now.
 
Dunno about replacement, but a friend of mine got a quote to cut down some mature trees back in PA for $2,000 each! Yikes.
 
woodstock said:
agreed. but I'm trying to impress on my friend that she can't sit back and take it. she's upset but is so confused about what to do and she's afraid of getting the builder mad at her and "messing up her perfect house plans" (like he didn't already? good God).

I'd have his head on a platter right about now.
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Besides the "messing up the house" thing, the H.O. will put the owners on the hook for the tree clearing. Depending on the nastiness of the rules & H.O. law in the state, they could lose the lot if the problem is not fixed to the satisfaction of the H.O.
 
She just learned her first important lesson about contracting... you must live on the site with plans and specs in hand during wonking hours to see exactly what is being done and how. Otherwise they will just do 'what they think you meant'.
 
woodstock said:
naturally I advised her to see an attorney among many other things. I'm upset and I'm not even a part of this.
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Elizabeth, good luck. Construction litigation is such a hell-bent speciality precisely because of this kind of stuff. And her worry about builder subterfuge later in the process is very legit. She should fire the guy and hire another one. He has proven his incompetence.
 
Yeah, but having known some friends who've dealt with builders, Liz's friends may have to get a lawyer to make it clear to the builders that it is the builders problem.

Some builders tend to be a little reluctant to take the blame...
 
Let'sgoflying! said:
She just learned her first important lesson about contracting...
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That is the second important lesson about contracting. The first is get it in writing. Please tell us there was some kind of work order.

With regards to trees....don't know if this will help as it doesn't actually address the replacement of 30 year old trees, especially at the scale I think you are talking about...

At my former home I wanted some privacy without resorting to a fence so during the first two years I planted white pines. I planted a mixture of 5 to 6 footers (about $35 each) and saplings (about $5 each) white pines. I was very pleased with their growth rate. It really appeared that the saplings "caught up" with the more mature trees during the 10 years I lived in the house. I don't know if there is a natural process or reason why it appeared that the younger trees had an accelerated growth rate when compared to taller trees I planted.

So as not to have just white pines we also planted some other interesting conifers (scotch pines and similar varaities that don't have the triangular Christmas tree look). We also planted a few broad leaf trees but only a few so as to minimize raking in the fall. My two favorite trees were a dawn redwood and a blue spruce (it was so blue that my father, who is a "city boy", asked if we painted the tree).

We planted the dawn redwood toward the back of the property and it shot up very fast. It was easily taller than the house when we moved. I forget what we paid for it when we bought it as a 7 footer but it was probably around $100.

You can often get deals on trees that are not perfectly straight or have other features that can actually turn out to be interesting. We had one or two pines that had split into two main trunks very close to the bottom.

Len
 
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wsuffa said:
Besides the "messing up the house" thing, the H.O. will put the owners on the hook for the tree clearing. Depending on the nastiness of the rules & H.O. law in the state, they could lose the lot if the problem is not fixed to the satisfaction of the H.O.
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HO = Home Owners Association
 
Greebo said:
Yeah, but having known some friends who've dealt with builders, Liz's friends may have to get a lawyer to make it clear to the builders that it is the builders problem.

Some builders tend to be a little reluctant to take the blame...
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And a lawyer specialized in construction law, too. Builders are famous for creating zero-asset companies that are collapsed as soon as the project is done. A good lawyer will give proper advice on piercing the corporate veil in such a case.

Good luck.
 
Anthony said:
Dunno about replacement, but a friend of mine got a quote to cut down some mature trees back in PA for $2,000 each! Yikes.
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But what's not being said is the degree of difficulty in removing the tree. Easy access with no structures nearby is not the same as hanging over the side of a bluff above a house and have to walk the last 200 feet. The harder it is the more money it will cost.
 
Ed Guthrie said:
On the other hand, if you want a mature, 30' Rainier Cherry tree the price will cripple you.

.
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I have about 150 of them in my yard, blocking the view. I can spare a couple of them, and it will mearly handicap you for a few months. :D
But it might just kill the trees if they were moved, they've been here for over 30 years.
 
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