The tree had a long standing heritage at the entrance to the school. When the school started its remodeling project, the locals decided to privately raise the funds to have this large tree moved to the entrance of the new school.Big Trees was first contacted about this project in early December 2018. Once it was decided that this tree was a viable candidate for proper root balling and transplanting to the new proposed planting location, Big Trees generated some estimates for what the process might involve financially. A local group of volunteers began raising the funds to accommodate this transplant.
The Japanese Maple was originally planted in 1967, and has been seen as a heritage tree to most all who have attended the school over the years. It is now 20-feet tall by 20-feet wide with numerous trunks in a thick diameter. The tree weighed-in at around 25,000 pounds once it was properly dug and bound with burlap and rope. The tree was rigged and lifted onto a truck for transport to the new installation location. Once the crane was set up in the next location, the tree was lifted off of the transport vehicle and planted in its new planting environment.
The tree is going to receive ongoing supervision and care from the volunteers’ group who worked hard to raise the funds.
“This Japanese Maple will hopefully continue to welcome many more generations of students at the school’s new entrance, as it has done for the last 50 years in its former location.” said Todd Holmes, Big Trees’ Operation Manager.
Nancy Penrose is the owner of Big Trees Inc., located in Snohomish, WA in the Seattle area. The company is one of the largest tree nurseries in the Seattle area with over 120,000 trees available in over 300 varieties. They not only deliver young trees, but also mature trees in a wide range of sizes. Some types of trees available include spring flowering, deciduous, evergreen, and privacy trees. The company also does tree transplanting including large trees. Their blog can be seen at https://bigtreesupply.com/blog/ or http://arboristblog.com/. They can be reached at 360-563-2700.
Winter is almost over and spring is in sight! This means it’s time to start thinking about tree care for your trees and ensure they’re in tip-top shape for spring and summer. Below, you’ll find a mini-checklist of steps you can take to see if your tree is healthy and what to do if certain signs appear.
First, it can be very harmful to your neighbors, children, family, pets and people passing by. When a tree is diseased, damaged or unstable, the branches are at risk of falling and can injure those nearby. The scary part is that it can happen suddenly and unpredictably.
Big Trees helped relocate the trees to a storage area and save them for future landscape use after the construction is complete. The university is well known for its specimen trees and plants and the reuse of these trees will be appreciated in the coming decades of new students, faculty and public garden tours.
The project will be accomplished over the winter break so as to not interfere with the daily school traffic. This transplanting effort will be made to create a much smoother process for the construction company for major renovations, and will keep the school in good standings with the city’s efforts to maintain the tree canopy of this neighborhood.
There aren’t any leaves on the trees, making it easier to see the structure of the tree.
The tree was in the way of remodeling and expanding the client’s garage and parking area — both premium features in the neighborhoods of Seattle. The client contacted Big Trees about moving the huge tree. He told them the base trunk had a diameter of over a foot and a half wide, and that the canopy of the tree was 20-feet plus in height. With his daughter having childhood memories with the tree, he felt strongly about saving it.