Excerpts from an article by Greg Stack – Waikato Times 6 September 2011
– – – –
Relocating a plot of mature native trees is helping a new subdivision to escape the concrete jungle tag by reconnecting the bare land with nature.
Using a large mechanical spade the last of almost 40 tons of mature Kauri and dirt was taken from an Ohaupo Nursery to the Amokura subdivision yesterday.
Treelocations owner and operator Barry Cox said the specialist “tree spade” method which pushes four hydraulic blades into the ground 900mm and scoops the tree out, was the most successful and least damaging of the moving methods.
“I get a lot of work from people who have trees in the wrong place or are too big so I take them away and put some back in my nursery. – I have moved over seven thousand trees and have a 97 percent (replanting) success rate” Mr Cox said.
He said the trees at this nursery ranged dramatically in price, depending on age, size, rarity and shape, from $500 all the way up to the thousands of dollars.
The Landscape Design Studio owner and designer Lee Burton said planting mature natives at the gully-side subdivision was more exciting than difficult.
“We are putting in 37 Kauri so it all looks very instant and mature. We relocated planted trees taken out with a wedge of soil in preference to buying from a horticultural nursery who grow their plants in planter bags” Mr Burton said.
“This means they are so much more mature and they don’t have a limited root system like they do with planter bags”
The bags that are used by many nurseries make the plants easier to manage but stunt their growth by restricting the length of roots.
Lugtons general manager Kevin Laurence said the 33 sections in the upmarket subdivision, on the corner of River Rd and Te Huia Drive, ranged from 600sqm to 1200sqm and would be put on the market in late October – once roading and planting was complete.
