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Does anyone know where to sell a Japanese Red Maple?

7 years ago

I have a 40 ft tall Japanese red maple in my front yard. I want to sell it because it is kind of in the way and very close to the house. It has gotten so big I am afraid it will hurt the roof. Does anyone know how much these go for and where the best place to sell one is?

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Comments (4)

Mike McGarvey
7 years ago
In order to sell it the tree has to be successfully transplanted. The cost is more than it's worth.

Maybe you can sell the firewood. I've burned a lot of Japanese maple over the years. It makes good firewood.

Mike
gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
7 years ago
If I can expand on Mike's comments.......it would only be private parties that would be interested in a tree that size. A landscaper wanting something mature for a client or a homeowner with a big, high-end, new construction project. It is well beyond the scope of anything a nursery would consider and most will only purchase stock from certified growers.

And moving a tree of that size is an extremely expensive undertaking - thousands of dollars!! Any purchaser will figure that expense into their cost for the tree and the tree itself declines in value proportionally. It's a bit of a situation where the more it costs to move, the less value the tree has........there are no guarantees that a move of a tree that size would be successful and no one wants to fork out big bucks only to have the whole thing fail.

Before I did anything else I would have a certified arborist come out and look at how the tree canopy could be reduced in size. Japanese maples are often planted very close to structures and there is little concern about damage to structures from these trees - they tend to be structurally stable and without an aggressive root system. Some judicious pruning by a professional could reduce the size and spread of the canopy and the tree could happily remain in place for another couple of decades with similar attention from time to time.

Or you can have it removed and sell the firewood :-) But that seems like an unfortunate end for a very venerable and mature tree!!
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Mike McGarvey
7 years ago
Pruning to make it smaller is a very viable option. Getting someone qualified to do it right is another matter. The only reference is to see his previous work. Paying for it to be butchered is no fun.

Do you have a photo?
hemlock140 Zone 8B
7 years ago
It won't hurt to put an ad on Craigslist, with a price and "you dig up and transport". I have seen trees that size on there, but have no idea whether anyone ever went for them or not.

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