Gabe Hodge

The Domain has become something of a “second downtown” in Austin. Huge buildings, trendy stores and multi-use, high-density multi-family housing are the most conspicuous features. Its modern roots date back to IBM purchasing and constructing on the property in the late 1960s. Some of the early IBM buildings can be seen in several of the shots in the video.

After all three of the first construction phases were completed, my friend’s construction company began construction on some holdout IBM property in the southeastern-most corner of the Domain. One roadblock for their team was a heritage oak tree smack dab in the middle of the construction zone. The city of Austin will often require preservation of natural features as part of earth-to-concrete ratio in a given development. The tree in question was located quite close to the main IBM building. The city eventually approved the construction company’s plan to relocate the tree roughly 100 yards south, nestled inconspicuously behind what is presently a Wells Fargo bank.

In preparation for the move, my friend’s crew began a detailed, twelve-week process of locating, cutting and preserving the roots and soil surrounding the tree. Special arborist consultants were subcontracted to care for the roots, provide constant watering and meticulous soil preservation to keep the tree healthy throughout the weeks leading up to the move. The crew budgeted a staggering $347,000 for moving this tree. The plan was to: 1) mount the tree on a two-tiered 30’x30′ steel pipe platform, 2) raise the tree above the pavement by sliding deflated inflatable 30-foot cylindrical bags between the platform and the pavement, 3) inflating the bags to serve as wheels beneath the platform, and 4) use two full-sized backhoes to pull/steer the tree, and a pavement scraper following behind to tweak positioning.

In April of 2017, my friend asked me to make a time lapse, using my drone, to document the day of relocation for this heritage oak tree. At the time, my little drone was a DJI Phantom 3 Standard. On the day of the move, the crew commenced work early, so I started rolling just before 7AM. The crews got right to work, executing the plan. The speed and fluidity with which the crew coordinated inflating/deflating and rotating the bags to move and turn this giant, living, beautiful, century-old oak tree was really fascinating.

For ten hours, I frantically rotated batteries in the drone and my tripod camera, chasing angles and trying to time my capturing of the most interesting parts of the move. I was pleased with how the video turned out, but I always notice opportunities for improvement. Today, I frequently pass the tree with my family when we dine or shop at the Domain. It is a fond reminder of a day of learning how to move trees, and I’ll always know how that tree ended up there.