April Issue Extra: Caliper Capers

Typically, 1 inch in caliper, or diameter, of a tree translates to 9 to 12 inches of rootball, noted Preston Leyshon, equipment manager, Chapel Valley Landscape Co., Woodbine, Md. Keeping this in mind, contractors should analyze a tree’s caliper when planning for the specimen’s proper removal and installation. Leyshon identified the following categories according to tree caliper size:

• 1- to 2-inch caliper: “These trees are smaller for immediate impact, and are good for reforestation purposes or along a property line.”
• 3- to 4-inch caliper: “Most commercial site construction uses 3-inch-caliper trees. These are big enough for an impact and provide shade in the first year.”
• 4- to 6-inch caliper: “These can be used for a larger government job – the price jumps immensely when you start using bigger equipment, and you can fit less of these on a truck.”
• 6- to 8-inch caliper: “These trees can still be [moved with tree spades], but they’re about 30 to 40 feet high, so you won’t be planting a lot of them at once. You’ll be doing 2 to 3 of them for a specific site.”

The author is Assistant Editor – Internet of Lawn & Landscape magazine.