A landscape design company successfully completed the complex task of relocating a precious 500-year-old olive tree weighing approximately 13,200 pounds.
They relocated a 500-year-old, 6.6-ton olive tree to a private garden: “It’s not something you do every day”
Many residential gardens are true works of art. Carefully arranged flowers, plants, and trees give homes a distinctive character, and some even earn landscaping awards for their exceptional design.
Far less common, however, are gardens that feature living pieces of history. That is the case for one homeowner in Valencia, who recently planted a 500-year-old olive tree weighing roughly 6.6 tons (13,200 pounds) as the centerpiece of a private garden.
The remarkable achievement was not just the tree’s age, but the logistics required to transport and replant it. The project was carried out by the Valencia-based landscape design firm Jardines con Vida.
A major logistical challenge
The owners personally selected the centuries-old olive tree from a nursery to serve as the focal point of their new garden. The decision was made after a previous pine tree was blown down during a storm, leaving a large empty space on the property.
Moving the massive tree required specialized heavy equipment capable of handling its approximately 6.6-ton weight. The company used a crane and a lowboy trailer to transport and carefully position the historic specimen in its new location about 165 feet from the house.
“It’s not something you do every day,” the company noted, highlighting the complexity of the operation.
The cost of a mature olive tree
Owning an olive tree of this caliber comes at a premium. The price of a mature Mediterranean olive tree depends on several factors, including its age, trunk size, overall condition, transportation requirements, and the complexity of the transplant.
Younger olive trees are widely available from local growers at relatively affordable prices. By contrast, centuries-old specimens can cost more than $1,000, with transportation and installation adding significantly to the final bill.
Millennial olive trees, some weighing as much as 22,000 pounds, can cost well over $10,000 when purchased directly from their place of origin. Once professionally transplanted and established in a landscape, their market value can increase tenfold.
Beyond their striking appearance, the ownership and relocation of these exceptionally old trees is increasingly subject to government regulations. Those protections can make acquiring them more challenging and also contribute to their high market value.
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