Wilsocn, not that it is not a really neat project but my effort to vallue limit would be about four feet tall max!

Even then for a maple it would have to be one i saw had an excellent fall color or REALLY looked like a sugar or "insert name here" maple.

My state will mail me a packet of a dozen or so generic bare root Acer rubruns for twenty bucks so the wild trees has limited value to me.

Just imagine all the roots from all the big trees around your volunteer. I might have to go have a drink just thinking about the hard work.

Do you have power equipment, like a Bobcat or something similar? I dug out a 4' weeping cherry once & thought I would herniate my whole body trying to move the root ball.

There are some other threads here that mention root pruning. That might be a way to try for a larger tree. I'm assuming you own the land that tree is on, right? So if you try and fail, you are only out a few hours with the shovel & a tarp. I think a 10 footer would still be pushing the boundaries of human endurance, though.

Thanks for the replies, Toronado and Pam. The land is mine of course and the trees that I have been looking at are not sitting next to any mature trees but I have dug in the woods before and know all too well that the ground is crawling with roots going every which way. Not fun at all...

After reading your posts I might settle for one of the smaller ones then. I dont mind the hard work but I would hate to go past the point of no return only to realize that I wont be able to do it and then the tree dies because of it.

I also dont know what type of Maple it is. My knowledge of trees sort of stops with the familiar names. :P

Well if you want to take a picture of the leaves then someone can help you identify it.

you would do the deed when the leaves change color or fall off..

you want to move a dormant tree ... and give it time to regrow some roots.. before the heat of next summer ... TIMING IS EVERYTHING ....

i would suggest no more than 6 feet ... check out the pic below .. i would also bare root it since it is dormant ..

i would get something to mark the tree [note the pic, pink surveyors tape] .. and make my selection after the leaves turn color.. and select the one that pleases you most ...

dig new hole first ... then go to town on the tree.. and replant it within minutes of dragging it out of mother earth ...

ken

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Hey Ken - how did you get the roots separated from the dirt on that tree? That looks like a much better way to get a tree moved than the things I've tried (mainly digging up a massive root ball and dragging the beast on a tarp to it's new hole).

I don't need to move a tree right now, but I'll file the info in my brain for another day.

Thanks,
-Pam

because this is my soil .. pic below ... yellow mineral sand ... lol ... and trees and conifers love it ...

by the time i have dug twice around .. WITH A SHARP SHOVEL ... you see all the soil that remains in ball form .. lol

most nurseries that want to produce ball and burlap stock.. buy property .. with a clay based soil ....

but my point was .. simply... a ball of soil would be nice.. but it isnt imperative ... with PROPER TIMING.. there is a lot of leeway ....

and also.. note the size of the roots compared to the tree... if i recall... i started digging about 4 feet from the trunk ... and by the time i was done.. i probably had a 4 foot wide set or roots.. which i then took the time.. with the felco's [hand pruners] to trim each root end that was not properly cut with a sharpened shovel ... never forget.. that to dig a trench as wide as your shovel to make a ball.. you have to make a moat 12 inches wide or so.. so you start that much further out .... so that the interior dimension is proper ... you can always cut more off the roots.. you can not staple or tape them back on ....

i believe that i had marked this tree the year prior.. and while it was still in the ground.. i trimmed it for shape the year prior ...

i use the same tape in the weeks prior to hauling out the chainsaw ... once its running.. there is no time to ponder each tree i walk by on 5 acres.. i simply trot from one marked tree to the next.. doing what must be done ... and then it takes a week to clean up the mess. .. lol ..

ken
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Ahhh. I'm envious of your sand. We had that kind of soil at our last house in this town. A nice 8" thick layer of dark soil with yellow sand underneath. We moved a few states away & came back to the other side of the same town to find rocks, more rocks, and a much higher water table. Sigh.

Speaking of tape & marking trees before going to work with the chainsaw ... we used 3" wide blue painters masking tape to ring every tree we wanted to save. That way there'd be no question of, "Sorry lady, I didn't see the tag on that one!" after it was too late. Chainsaws do have a way of making you feel like come hell or high water, you WILL get something accomplished in a day.