Advice on moving semi-mature beech

SILVAMAN

I plan to open a new entrance to a field and will have to remove several 30 year old copper beech, sometime this winter.
They are about 11-12m in height and I'm looking for advice on what I should do now , as in the way of pruning/crown reduction to facilitate their removal and replanting elsewhere.
Thanks

_Tombstone_

Put up pics.


I'll be no help but id imagine it'd help see them.

blue5000

Won't be too simple, how thick are they at ground level. I don't know how much of the roots you can move? Something I read somewhere/saw on tv is to dig a trench at the edge of the rootball where you intend to move and fill it with really good compost. This encourages more fibrous roots, which should help the tree take up nutrients after you move it.
But,
I think this needs to done a year before you move them, I reckon if you did it now in this weather the tree will probably die.

_Tombstone_

Came across this there, moving a big tree.

http://www.npr.org/2014/10/26/358965309/lifted-on-giant-inner-tubes-an-old-tree-moves-in-michigan

Melodeon

Drew Haslam in Birr has the way of moving biggish trees, might be worth having a chat with him:
http://www.drewhaslam.com/#!tree-moving/c13ok

gk5000

RHS have this link which is worth looking at
https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?PID=293

but there is an alternative method which may be worth checking on:
- dig it up right now, and leave it out of the ground for a day (but keeping the roots moist and out of the sun)
-tree goes into shock,loses its leaves and goes dormant
- plant it with some fine compost near the roots
- tree produces new fine hairs/roots and recovers in spring
Make sure and read more about this before trying it - otherwise use rhs

Edit to add - the rational is that you need to force new roots as opposed to trying to move enough soil with the roots