Auburn Botanic Gardens – Cumberland City Council

Cumberland City Council sought to preserve two mature Japanese Maples located on a nearby council property slated for redevelopment. Without relocation, both trees would have been removed as part of the site works. The brief was to safely transplant these advanced, highly valued specimens across the road into the Auburn Botanic Gardens, ensuring their long-term survival and allowing the community to continue enjoying them.

This project presented significant technical and environmental challenges:

• Species sensitivity as Japanese Maples are particularly delicate and can respond poorly to disturbance, making mature specimens difficult to relocate successfully.
• Tight extraction zones of the trees positioned in a restricted space, limiting access for machinery and requiring precision digging and lifting.
• Large-scale cranage requirements was required to safely lift the trees over surrounding structures and obstacles, utilising an exceptionally large 300-tonne crane
• Botanic garden conditions: the receiving site is an immaculate and highly curated botanical environment, meaning works had to be carried out with zero impact to surrounding plantings, pathways, and garden features.

Given the complexity of both sites and the sensitivity of the species, Dixons adopted a highly coordinated and methodical approach:

• Extensive planning and multiple site assessments to map out crane placement, access routes, and protective measures for the Botanic Gardens.
• Careful selection of specialised plant and equipment, from precision excavation tools to the large-scale crane required for lifting.
• Meticulous rootball preparation, with enhanced protection to safeguard exposed roots from stress, dehydration, or temperature changes during transit.
• A tightly controlled lifting operation using the 300t crane to manoeuvre each tree out of the constrained site and across the road into the gardens.
• Protection systems throughout the Botanic Gardens, ensuring all movement of machinery and crews left no environmental or aesthetic impact.
• Final placement and establishment, including stabilisation, watering-in, and monitoring to give the trees the best possible start in their new location.

The successful relocation preserved two significant Japanese Maples that would otherwise have been lost to development. Key outcomes included:

• Protection of mature, valued trees, avoiding unnecessary removal and ensuring they continue to thrive in a suitable long-term setting.
• Demonstration of advanced relocation capability, highlighting a method of tree management that is often under-recognised yet highly impactful.
• Strong environmental leadership from Cumberland City Council, showcasing their commitment to sustainable urban tree management.
• Community benefit, with the trees now forming part of the picturesque Auburn Botanic Gardens, where visitors can continue to enjoy their seasonal beauty for years to come.