Free referral service · South Denver suburbs
Tree spade transplanting
A truck-mounted spade digs a tree with its root ball in one scoop and sets it in a matching hole. It is how big evergreens get moved, from a tree farm or from one side of your yard to the other.
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- South Denver suburbs onlyHighlands Ranch, Lone Tree, Parker and nearby
- Cited 2026 pricesEvery figure links its source
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How this works: Denver Privacy Trees is a free referral service, not a nursery or tree planting contractor. We pass your request to independent local tree planting companies, who may pay us for the referral. They quote, schedule and do the work; check their insurance before you hire. More about us.
When a spade makes sense
- You want a screen of trees bigger than a crew can handle by hand and machine.
- A healthy evergreen is in the way of a project and you'd rather move it than remove it.
- You have a wide, firm path from the street to the planting spot.
What it costs
We haven't found a published price list for spade moves in the Denver area; companies quote by tree size, distance and access. For a sense of what a large evergreen is worth, the ISA Rocky Mountain Chapter's 2025 appraisal tables put the installed replacement cost of a 3.5-inch-trunk Colorado spruce at about $1,100 to $1,300, and a Norway spruce at about $1,000 to $1,200. Those are arborist appraisal figures, not quotes.
Access and utilities
Spade trucks need room. For comparison, one Colorado nursery says its largest "special access" trees need an 8 ft opening. Colorado 811 says contacting it at least three business days before you dig is the law, and the locate is free. It marks public lines only; sprinkler lines and landscape lighting cable are private and won't be marked.
Aftercare
CSU Extension says trees generally take a year to establish per inch of trunk diameter and that new trees are most at risk from winter drought. Ask the company what watering it expects from you and whether any guarantee depends on it.
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Related
- Large evergreen planting
- Watering and care for new trees
- Privacy tree cost
- Planting rules: HOA, 811 and watering
- Comparing tree planting quotes
Sources
- ISA Rocky Mountain Chapter, Regional Plant Appraisal Committee, Plant Material Cost Summary, 2025 Update (PDF)
- Colorado Tree Farm Nursery, Planting or Delivery Charges 2026 (PDF)
- Colorado 811, Call or Click Before You Dig
- CSU Extension, Fall and Winter Watering
Prices come from the published lists above, not quotes. Your price depends on the trees, access and digging conditions; local companies quote after seeing the yard.