Offsite transplanting is defined as those trees that are moving from a current location to a new one at a different address, whether it’s two or two hundred miles away. Trucking times can certainly vary by location but they all require our crew to get the trees loaded and tied in safely for road-width legal transport. This requires additional time and rigging to lay large trees down and carefully tie in all the delicate branching, then tarp for protection against wind burn.
Like onsite transplants, trees transplanted offsite can vary from 2” caliper (trunk diameter) that weigh a few hundred pounds to those weighing in excess of 10,000 pounds and are moved with cranes and heavy equipment including special low-boy tractor trailers.
Trees over 3-3.5”caliper can weigh several hundred to thousands of pounds and require the use of hydraulic equipment. Our crews often bring loaders on trailers to lift and carry the trees on a special fork-rack. Our Kubota loaders need 7’ of width for access and need to drive from the street to within 2-3’ of the tree being transplanted. The loaders have wide rubber tires that help float the machine across sensitive planting and lawn areas, however sometimes the crew will use thick plywood to “plank” a path for the vehicle.
