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Caterpillar moving a 100+ year old 518,000 pound Oak TREE ! ! !
The Ghirardi Compton Oak has been a piece of League City's history for over 100 years. The tree stands 56 feet tall, has a canopy that is over 100 feet wide, and is 135 inches around. It also weighs an incredible 518,000 pounds. A county road widening project put the future of the Ghirardi Oak in jeopardy. Council voted to use park dedication funds to hire Hess Landscaping Construction to move the majestic oak. A project that took them just under a month to complete. Watch the incredible process from start to finish in this video.
Ghirardi Compton Oak in 'great shape'
By Christopher Smith Gonzalez
The Daily News
Published September 4, 2012
LEAGUE CITY - A carpet of dead leaves has settled around the Ghirardi Compton Oak in League City. It has been more than two months since the 100-year-old oak was moved 1,500 feet to its new home, and the brown leaves piling up below its branches have some people worried.
But the defoliation is a normal part of the process, said Erik Hess, president and owner of Hess Landscape Construction Co., the company hired to move the tree.
The rare Compton oak used to sit near Louisiana Avenue and FM 518. At one point, it was to be cut down to make room for the widening of Louisiana Avenue. But after months of debate, the city council voted to spend $197,500 of park-dedicated funds to move the tree.
"The tree is doing great," Hess said.
A tree will defoliate to get rid of old growth, Hess said, and that will typically happen after a stressful move. The good news is that the dead leaves are being pushed by new growth, he said. Crews also have noticed new root growth, he said.
After inspecting the tree and climbing up in it two weeks ago, Hess said the historic oak is doing better than expected.
"We've been surprised by the recovery of that tree in the period of time," he said.The first 18 months are the most critical, so the tree's health will be monitored, Hess said. Between his company and the city, a team of 11 people is keeping tabs on the tree. For the next three years, it will be monitored on a biweekly basis, Hess said.
The watering schedule is based on regional climate and rainfall. Water levels are checked weekly, Hess said. There also are tubes dug into the ground around the tree that allow crews to see whether water is building up, he said.
Hess said the tree is not out of the woods yet - it still needs constant monitoring. Hess said he has seen the interest in the Ghirardi oak and will be down personally at least once a month to inspect the tree.
