This past weekend, a huge bur oak tree was relocated as part of the expansion project of the Ross School of Business at the University of Michigan. In a move that cost a hefty $400,000, the tree was uprooted from the spot now reserved for the new Jeff T. Blau Hall, scheduled for completion by summer 2016.
The tree's original location is in the courtyard found north of the business school building. From there, the tree was moved around 500 feet. It now stands in front of the Ross building on a lawn that faces Tappan Street. The spot seems favorable since it is the only space that is near the school. Measuring about 47 square feet, the space is big enough to accommodate the tree and its root ball.
A crew worked almost 12 hours unearthing the tree on Oct. 25. The workers placed inflated air bladders underneath the tree and tried to secure the limbs six stories high. There were transporters on stand by to move the tree.
As the tree is 250 years old, 65 feet tall and 700,000 pounds heavy, it needed at least a pair of transporters, with each having 96 wheels and weighing 90,000 pounds to move it to the corner of Tappan Avenue and Monroe Street.
The air bladders used in transporting the mammoth tree are the usual four-layer or six-layer bags, with each bag capable of holding around 150 to 270 tons of weight. They range in diameter from 0.8 to 2.5 meters and have lengths of five to 24 meters.
All of the manpower, equipment and know-how used to move the tree cost around $400,000. The money came from the donation of $100 million by philanthropist Stephen Ross, for whom the business school will be renamed.
The relocation finally pushed through at 3 p.m. on Oct. 26 after some delays. Apparently, there was a root mass that slowed down the raising of the tree.
"Whenever we move big trees like this, there's always something that slows you down. It's not an exact science. In this particular case there was a little bit of a root mass beneath the tree -- which is not abnormal -- and it slowed down the raising of the tree just a little bit," said Paul Cox, regional vice president of Environmental Design. The company, which is based in Texas, specializes in transplanting large trees.
Within the next three to five years, the tree will be strictly monitored and placed under a maintenance program that includes close monitoring of pH and moisture levels. The leaf size and color will also be monitored since leaf health is a reflection of the overall health of a tree.
