Tree Spade & Tree Moving

the Johnson Tree Company (JTC) owns and operates the largest tree-moving machine in South Dakota and the surrounding 5-state region. We can transplant any tree to your front yard — and we offer the best warranty in the business. Many of the trees we sell have originated from our own tree farm; but, the majority of the trees we move are owned by our customers, and are merely transplanted from one section of their yard to another.

We’ve been operating our tree-moving business here in the Black Hills since 1995. All of our tree-transplanting services are conducted by spade operators who are professional, experienced tree people: …ARBORISTS!

Remember that at JTC, Trees Are Our Only Business. We are not just a simple truck driver with a tree on-board. When JTC went into the tree spade business, we did so knowing what trees move well, what sizes of tree will survive transplanting, and how to properly care for the transplanted tree after it’s been moved.

At JTC, we will transplant ONLY those trees that will survive relocation. We promise our customers that we will not waste their money by transplanting a tree that is too large for the spade equipment. Even with the largest machine in South Dakota, we are often asked to relocate trees that are just too big to survive a move. In such cases, JTC is morally obligated to refuse the work.*

With the largest tree spade available in South Dakota, JTC offers the most technically-advanced equipment and tree-knowledgeable personnel in the region.

*In many cases, we find that a much smaller tree-moving truck (not owned/operated by JTC) has been located and the driver has happily taken the customer’s money to transplant a non-survivable tree.

There are plenty of tree spade owners in the Black Hills area; usually a recently-retired individual with enough spare cash to purchase a small, inexpensive tree-moving machine. These operators typically know all about driving a truck – but know very little (if anything) about your tree, its post-transplant care, or how to help it survive the shock of transplant. They will move trees much too large for the small equipment they use, and they certainly offer no warranty.

Use common sense if you’re about to hire a simple equipment operator to transplant your tree; let the buyer beware.