need to remove 30' chestnut

[Persimman]

Due to an unfortunate change in family rules, I need to remove a chinese chestnut. It was from Edward Fort Nurseries, May 2013, currently 30' tall, 3.5" dbh, beautiful upright form with central leader. Planted on a steep hillside of loose dark dirt with lots of small stones. Close to a logging road. I hate to just cut it down, but not sure that the work/risk to move it will be worth it. I can use a track loader and dig it out, but then it's hard to get it out of the bucket; hard to get it on a trailer, hard to haul at 30', hard to get it off the trailer and into a huge hole (dug on different property by hand). I've looked at the airspade idea, and estimate that would take me 14 hrs and $250. I have 7 various chestnuts planted here at the house, and wasn't planning on more. What do you-all reckon? Would you try to move it, or just have a memorial service and cut it off? Anybody out there want to come get it for free? nearest zip 22830. A tractor mounted tree spade would work. Doubt if we could a truck mounted up in there.
Thanks for listening.

 

[Troubles Trees]

It certainly can be done if you have feisable access to get equipment up there, and if you are willing to part with the money to do it. If I may ask, why they don't want a chestnut tree where it's planted now?

 

[Northbound]

If closer id help. Have a skidsteer mounted spade. Thought id use it a few weeks and turn n burn on it but turned out to be so handy that it's a permanent part of the farm now. Call some landscapers, might be more affordable than you'd think

 

[mikmaze]

don't even tell me it is because it is a Chinese tree, and they are afraid.......... nif that is the case, find a new family.

 

[yoderjac]

Given your description of where it is located, I doubt it is worth the effort trying to move it. I find that when chestnuts are injured, their response tends to be to put up new shoots from the root ball. That is one reason they are difficult to graft. Anything is possible given the time and money, but I don't think it is worth the effort.

Thanks,

Jack

 

[Persimman]

Why? well, the long painful story is reduced to saying the extended fambly interpret the ACCF 'must be planted in pure groves' as meaning no immigrants on the same 165 acre property, and my 2 remaining hybrids must be removed "this winter" because of the 10 ACCF seeds that have been planted recently, as well as over 100 a.c. from various sources. You'll be glad I deleted the 100 word epistle I first wrote. Not a nice situation, but I'm resigned to getting rid of the foreigners.

 

[buckdeer1]

I moved some oaks that big with a 80 inch on a truck,I know I would try

 

[chickenlittle]

Well, I'd just cut and treat the stump. Be mad about it for a couple days and forget about it and move on with life. Family is more important than a chestnut tree.

But I started my chinese chestnut orchard from seed on a tight spacing and will cut 75% of them down over then next 20 years.

 

[Troubles Trees]

Well it's your situation, not mine but I will share a little input I got from Allen Nichols from SUNY ESF. He is one of the leaders of the NY Chapters efforts at TACF and is sending me 30 original American Chestnut seeds to plant as I type.

This below is copy/pasted from his email to me, I also have Chinese Chestnuts, Allegheny Chinquapin and Dwarf Korean Chestnuts planted on my 30 acres so I wanted to be sure I was a viable candidate for the process. The "mother orchard" he refers to is the seeds he's sending me now and are (not blight resistant) 100% American Chestnut, they will send out transgenic trees coming out of ESF to graft to the "mother orchard" trees.


Allen writes:
"Just a quick comment, we do "NOT" want to plant any of our mother trees or our blight resistant trees anyplace where they can cross pollinated with any Asian chestnuts or hybrid trees like the Dunstan. The Dunstan are about 50% Chinese and not as blight resistant as the pure Chinese and a lot of them are dying here in NY after 10-15 years when they get the blight, or because they are not hardy for the weather here, as they are grown and shipped from Florida. See attachment
If still interested in planting a mother tree orchard it would have to be 300+ yards from any Asian or hybrid trees, but you could plant on friends, neighbors or family for the orchard and then plant the blight resistant nuts into the forest. The mother tree orchards need to be planted in full sun so they flower quickly as a tree planted in the forest could take 30+ years to reach the canopy and get enough sun to flower. While a tree planted in full sun can flower in as little as 3 years. see pictures."

 

[MRBB]

Well a my 2 cents, if you have access to a track loader/mini excavator, and have the time and trailer and?? rest of things needed, why not try! and save it??
I say dig it out,
see what its like once out
30 ft long is LONG, but I gather some of it might be able to be trimmed back some yet

you can drag it I would think too to a level place, then lift with loader, back a trailer under it and lower on deck
load so root ball is at back of trailer!


get to new site,
dig a hole, back trailer up to edge of hole
pull root ball off first into hole, stand up, refill hole, use some rope and tie to help it stay straight
and HOPE it takes

if not, well then you just wasted some time and fuel? and know what works for next time or not LOL

 

[Persimman]

Well it's your situation, not mine but I will share a little input I got from Allen Nichols from SUNY ESF. He is one of the leaders of the NY Chapters efforts at TACF and is sending me 30 original American Chestnut seeds to plant as I type.

This below is copy/pasted from his email to me, I also have Chinese Chestnuts, Allegheny Chinquapin and Dwarf Korean Chestnuts planted on my 30 acres so I wanted to be sure I was a viable candidate for the process. The "mother orchard" he refers to is the seeds he's sending me now and are (not blight resistant) 100% American Chestnut, they will send out transgenic trees coming out of ESF to graft to the "mother orchard" trees.


Allen writes:
"Just a quick comment, we do "NOT" want to plant any of our mother trees or our blight resistant trees anyplace where they can cross pollinated with any Asian chestnuts or hybrid trees like the Dunstan. The Dunstan are about 50% Chinese and not as blight resistant as the pure Chinese and a lot of them are dying here in NY after 10-15 years when they get the blight, or because they are not hardy for the weather here, as they are grown and shipped from Florida. See attachment
If still interested in planting a mother tree orchard it would have to be 300+ yards from any Asian or hybrid trees, but you could plant on friends, neighbors or family for the orchard and then plant the blight resistant nuts into the forest. The mother tree orchards need to be planted in full sun so they flower quickly as a tree planted in the forest could take 30+ years to reach the canopy and get enough sun to flower. While a tree planted in full sun can flower in as little as 3 years. see pictures."

Thanks - that's really interesting stuff. ACCF says 'must be planted in pure groves', which I interpreted as 400' from any immigrants, since some planting recommendations say "within 200' for pollination". But your man wants a lot more separation than that! ACF (easily confused with ACCF), on the other hand, told me that they don't care what other chestnuts are planted in the area, because they know that their trees will out-compete any half-breeds. Thus your information of 300+ yards is new and useful to me.