The movement or transplanting of trees

Lancelot (Capability) Brown was doing it in the 1700s – transforming  the landed gentry’s wide open spaces into idyllic landscapes featuring lakes, bridges, follies and upstanding trees.

The renowned landscape architect and gardener had the resources even then to transport large specimens of native species into position to fashion a manufactured setting the occupants of stately piles could gaze out upon and enjoy strolling within.

Lancelot’s nickname arose because of his declaration that many  country estates had great capabilities for improvement. Fast forward 200 years or so and we still have the means to uproot and relocate trees – from places where they may not either display their finest faces or prove problematic in their current positions.

The relaxed planning rules Labour promises to make the need to retain our tree heritage an imperative – one that those managing it are acting on increasingly.

“Large trees are often seen as permanent features, and when they outgrow a space, the usual solution is removal; but there is a better way by relocating and repurposing to enhance landscapes while delivering environmental and commercial value.”

The words of Mark Brooks, one of the country’s most experienced tree movers, who works at soil and tree specialists Ruskins.

Relocating mature and veteran trees is not a matter of simply lifting and replanting, he notes, but requires biological understanding and engineering.

“Understandably, trees with intact, undamaged roots are more likely to survive. Techniques such as root pruning months in advance help stimulate new root growth and reduce transplant shock. Healthy soil is also essential for stabilising the tree post-move.”

Large trees often require canopy thinning to reduce sail area, when there is a reduced root system.  Moving mature trees safely needs specialised machinery, careful route planning and sometimes temporary storage solutions to protect them during the transition. Furthermore, trees must be monitored and supported with irrigation, guying and mulching for seven to ten years to ensure successful establishment.

The Burstead Golf Club in Billericay, Essex, typifies tree transplanting used to reshape golfers’ experience on course, improving playability and aesthetics without compromising its character or ecological value.

Opened in 1993, The Burstead proprietary site sits within rolling countryside, amid ancient wood and nudging the river Crouch. Some large, semi mature trees, though healthy and structurally sound, had grown into positions that interfered with play or no longer served the 18-hole course. Meanwhile, other areas needed screening, definition and visual interest.

Rather than felling valuable trees and purchasing fresh stock, the club opted for a more sustainable, cost-effective approach. In 2015, the club decided to transplant a number of 5 to 6 m tall specimens from areas where they were no longer required to locations where they could add genuine value.

Using specialist equipment, including a 2.16 m tree spade, said to be the largest of its kind in the UK, the contractor lifted and relocated twelve large specimens with their root systems intact. The work was completed in a day, with all the trees repositioned across the course to enhance aesthetics and playability. A total of thirty trees were moved eventually, a mix of silver birch, oak, ash and hornbeam.

Timing and experience

Tree transplanting is as much about timing and ground conditions as it is about machinery. With The Burstead Golf Club sitting on heavy clay soils, works had to be scheduled before winter conditions made the ground too wet and unstable.

As important was the need to minimise disruption on an active golf course. The contractor’s experience working in live leisure environments enabled the process to be completed without harming the playing surface and meeting the standards the club and members expect.

Too many tree planting schemes end badly because essential maintenance isn’t planned in, so, more than a decade after The Burstead work, Pitchcare revisited the project.

And results speak for themselves. The trees are thriving, fully established and continuing to enhance the course, “a powerful demonstration of what is possible when mature trees are handled correctly,” Mark reports.

“This was a successful project,” course manager Phil Allibone notes. “We have lost only one specimen – a Betula Pendula (silver birch) – of the thirty originally relocated around the course, and they certainly enhance the landscape and make a difference to the greens they surround,” he adds.

“The relocated trees feel entirely natural within their new surroundings, offering screening, visual structure and subtle strategic influence on play, without any indication that they were ever moved – and delivering vital carbon savings.”

Mature trees deliver environmental benefits that cannot be quickly replaced, he adds. As well as storing carbon, they support biodiversity, improve air quality and contribute to the wellbeing of those who use the space.

When trees are felled, even if repurposed as biomass fuel, the carbon they have stored over decades is released back into the atmosphere

By choosing transplanting over removal, The Burstead Golf Club avoided unnecessary carbon release and have allowed its trees to continue delivering environmental value.

As trees grow, their contribution to the environment only increases, making preservation an increasingly important consideration for landowners and sports, leisure and amenity sites.

Intelligent tree management

For golf courses and other sports environments, trees are integral to their experience by shaping landscapes, influencing play (remember

Bernhard Langer’s high-rise shot at Fulton in 1981), define boundaries and create a sense of place.

Reasons enough for more spaces to realise that trees up to around 5 to 6 m can be repositioned to meet changing needs without compromising environmental responsibility or aesthetic quality.

The Burstead Golf Club project demonstrates how tree transplanting can support the evolution of sports facilities while preserving the natural assets that make them special.

The project is also a reminder that the most sustainable solution is often not removal, but rethinking how existing flora are used to allow them to enhance landscapes for generations to come, Mark states. “Semi mature trees deserve a future.”

Golf courses are not alone in adopting a more forward-thinking, sustainable stance on their green heritage. In education too, the trend to translocate is gathering pace. Pitchcare has learnt recently of a private school, boasting facilities that include its own golf course, that has moved a signature tree from a fairway to assume a prominent position nearer the school buildings.

The reason, we understand, was to use the tree as a focal point and in so doing, optimised its natural appeal.

The importance of preserving trees in the landscape is not lost on member body the Grounds Management Association. “Trees and woodlands form an integral part of many GMA members’ landscapes, whether in universities, schools, colleges or local authorities,” states Dan Prest, its technical and learning manager.

“When it comes to the maintenance and management of trees, the GMA strongly recommends that all work is undertaken by experienced, qualified professionals who hold the appropriate certifications.”

More than that though, he stresses: “As with any green space, biodiversity should also be a key consideration and having a clear biodiversity strategy is essential for the effective management of individual trees and woodland areas.”

The movement or transplanting of trees should only be considered once all other options have been explored. Where relocation is necessary, a robust post movement monitoring and maintenance plan should be established and followed.