The city of Nuremberg commissioned Team Opitz international to transplant a lime tree of approx. 50 years old, as it was standing in the path of the construction of a new road. A 250-ton, truck-mounted crane was used to move the tree to its new location.
The root ball of the tree (which was c. 12 metres tall), had been carefully excavated in advance and a special structure was applied around it.
Once the preparatory work had been carried out, the lime tree could therefore be lifted out of the ground with its roots and the surrounding soil. The root ball measured roughly 8 x 8 metres in volume and was approx. 1.5 metres deep.
The load, weighing roughly 50 tons, ‘floated’ to its new location suspended from the hook on the crane. A small park will soon be created at the site upon completion of the road construction work and the development of the new housing estate in the north west of Nuremberg.
