Baobab makes short crossing to new location

MBOMBELA – Greenies in the Lowveld have a small victory to celebrate. The well-known baobab tree which greeted visitors at the entrance of Crossing Shopping Centre has been safely relocated to its new spot
on Tuesday.

The tree had to be moved in accordance with the upgrades currently underway at  the centre.
Cranes, tractors and a team of environmental experts were contracted to orchestrate the 25-metre transplant so the tree could fit in with the building plans.

Read more about the upgrade here:

Crossing makes room for improvement

Shopping centre taking it to new heights

Giant figtree succumbs to development

“We could not put the tree on a truck because this might damage its roots or branches,” said horticulturist Mr Neil Fishwick. “The tree would have to be moved in one movement. Therefore, we had to estimate its weight to assign the right size crane.”
They estimated the tree to weigh about seven tons but soon found the 60-year-old tree’s true weight was closer to nine tons.

“Judging by its size and weight, I think the tree is about 60 years old.” He added that, as there were immature fruits on the tree, it could be a female tree.
“The fruit were so small that I doubt anything will come of them, but we’ll have to see.”

Fishwick said he wanted to move the tree in July already, when it was at its most dormant.
However, due to the schedule of the development, the move could only happen in September. “The worst time to move a tree would be when it is in full bloom, so at this stage it was still relatively safe.”
This was the tree’s second migration. Fishwick also moved it to Crossing Centre from its original spot in Piet Retief Street eight years ago. “Sure, the moving does traumatise the tree somewhat, but because it is a succulent it is a bit more resilient,” he said.

As for the success of the move, Fishwick compares it to a heart transplant. “It’s a gamble. It’s like asking a surgeon for a guarantee on a heart transplant. We’ll just have to wait and see.”