Couldn't bear to cut these up

[mywaynow]

One of my projects involved the need to clear some trees. I toted the MS211 out to the site and dropped a small hickory and about 4 cedars. Got to the last area to clear and there they were. Oaks, Pin to be exact. One was 8 ft, the other 10. I couldn't bear to put the saw to them. Both were beautiful trees growing nice and straight. Since I was working along with an excatvator the next couple days, I decided I could bribe him to pop these out of the ground and drop them on my trailer. It rained the day we took them out, and has rained every day since I planted them. Hopefully they take. Will add pics tomorrow.

 

[rideau]

One of my projects involved the need to clear some trees. I toted the MS211 out to the site and dropped a small hickory and about 4 cedars. Got to the last area to clear and there they were. Oaks, Pin to be exact. One was 8 ft, the other 10. I couldn't bear to put the saw to them. Both were beautiful trees growing nice and straight. Since I was working along with an excatvator the next couple days, I decided I could bribe him to pop these out of the ground and drop them on my trailer. It rained the day we took them out, and has rained every day since I planted them. Hopefully they take. Will add pics tomorrow.

Hope they survive. What was the diameter of the trunk? Really hard to move pin oak that has any diameter at all much bigger than a pencil...but the rain should help. Good luck! Love Pin Oak...a great shade tree.

 

[fossil]

They can be beautiful trees. If you managed to take a really generous root ball, took care to limit root damage and drying, they've got a chance. Yes, the rain was serendipitous. I hope it works out that they survive and thrive in their new locations. I applaud you for trying to relocate/save them. Rick

 

[mywaynow]

Both are 3-4 inch diameter trunks. Niether had a good root ball. They were growing out of a shale heavy berm. Hardly any good soil to cling together. One would be considered a clean root removal- no soil. I kind of figure I will lose one, but time will tell. I have a 12-14 ft pin in my yard that I want to transplant as well. That one I will do when the ground tightens up.

 

[TimJ]

This is a better time of the year to do it...........

 

[ScotO]

I love.the shiny leaves of those pin oaks, but they hold on all winter long and that kinda is the downside of them. But they are a beautifully shaped tree, when pruned correctly over the years. Hope the transplant works out, my FIL transplanted dozens of hemlocks over the years and never lost one of them. BTW, how did your rock wall turn out?

 

[Backwoods Savage]

I love.the shiny leaves of those pin oaks, but they hold on all winter long and that kinda is the downside of them. But they are a beautifully shaped tree, when pruned correctly over the years. Hope the transplant works out, my FIL transplanted dozens of hemlocks over the years and never lost one of them. BTW, how did your rock wall turn out?

Not all Scott! We have many pin oaks and the white oaks will hold leaf much longer. Beech even longer. I agree, they can be a beautiful tree if they are kept pruned.


Mywaynow, good for you to attempt to keep these trees and we hope it works out for you.

 

[My Oslo heats my home]

It's nice to see that not everyone with a chainsaw goes out to clear a space for whatever reason. i'm glad he looked at them as something worth keeping. Great story

 

[mywaynow]

Here are the pics to go with the story. You can see the wall behind the one, and not the other. I made the first 75 or so feet of the wall which was all I could bear. My back still hurts today from that work. Time for me to use some modern machinery in place of elbow grease and colonial times tools. I looked closer at the hieghts and would say the smaller one is 9 ft, and the larger 12. They have great shoots on top from this years growth.

 

[Realstone]

Both are 3-4 inch diameter trunks. Niether had a good root ball. They were growing out of a shale heavy berm. Hardly any good soil to cling together. One would be considered a clean root removal- no soil. I kind of figure I will lose one, but time will tell. I have a 12-14 ft pin in my yard that I want to transplant as well. That one I will do when the ground tightens up.

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are quite old, in spite of their small size. In Killarney provincial park there are oaks living on bald granite hills that are 5' to 15' tall that are hundreds of years old. I mention this because of your description of the original soil.

 

[Realstone]

Here are the pics to go with the story. You can see the wall behind the one, and not the other. I made the first 75 or so feet of the wall which was all I could bear. My back still hurts today from that work. Time for me to use some modern machinery in place of elbow grease and colonial times tools.

Is that a dry stack wall?

 

[mywaynow]

I believe it would be considered that. There is no footing, no block behind the stone, but I did use concrete/cement on the back of the wall. More details here https://www.hearth.com/talk/threads/just-keep-the-cold-beers-a-comin.87372/

 

[firefighterjake]

Don't blame you . . . on our family land we had few to any oaks . . . as a result when my wife and I bought our place here in Unity and I discovered several oaks growing I have carefully nutured as many of the young oaks that have come along and even go out in the Fall on occasion to pick up acorns to later plant on theproperty or on our family land . . . for future generations . . . just not any future generation of mine.

 

[rideau]

I wouldn't be surprised to learn that they are quite old, in spite of their small size. In Killarney provincial park there are oaks living on bald granite hills that are 5' to 15' tall that are hundreds of years old. I mention this because of your description of the original soil.

Yes, but I'm pretty sure those are not pin oak. It grows pretty quickly.

 

[rideau]

Both are 3-4 inch diameter trunks. Niether had a good root ball. They were growing out of a shale heavy berm. Hardly any good soil to cling together. One would be considered a clean root removal- no soil. I kind of figure I will lose one, but time will tell. I have a 12-14 ft pin in my yard that I want to transplant as well. That one I will do when the ground tightens up.

If the soil in your yard where the pin oak is growing is of any depth, you might have more luck transplanting a tree that size if you cut 1/3 of the roots now by going around the tree with a long spade, digging down sharply, pretty deeply at three even points around the tree and about two feet out from the tree. This will encourage the tree to develop feeder roots near the tree trunk, Fertilize and water it well next year, and mulch well under it, removing any grass or other plant that may be growing under the tree competing for nutrients and water. Cut the other, uncut roots next year, and transplant the thir year with a good root ball...assuming of course that at that point it doesn't have a really deep tap root that precludes viable removal. I'm not sure but I think oak tends to get a deep tap root. I know I have always read and heard that it is very hard to move a pin oak that is wider in diameter than a pencil.....