What is a Tree Spade?

A tree spade is a specialized hydraulic piece of equipment that is used for transplanting trees from one location to another.

A tree spade usually has four triangular shaped shovels that are dug into the ground around the base of a tree, enabling it to lift the tree out of the ground in a cone shape, with its soil and root system intact. The tree is then transported to its destination, where a hole of exactly the same size and shape has been dug. The tree is inserted into the cone shaped hole and all shovels are then removed to leave the tree standing in its new location.