Editing Openai/693c432f-d2a0-8002-9cc1-0743144a6366 (section)

=== Assistant: That right-most shrub has all the hallmarks of an arborvitae most likely Thuja occidentalis “Emerald Green”/“Smaragd” o… ===
That right-most shrub has all the hallmarks of an arborvitae (most likely Thuja occidentalis “Emerald Green”/“Smaragd” or a similar dwarf conical cultivar). The tight, dense, conical shape and the very fine, scale-like foliage are exactly in that family.

Now for the gritty horticultural engineering, which is more fun when you picture roots as a sort of subterranean nervous system making long-term plans.

===== How big is the root ball likely to be? =====

Arborvitae don’t send out deep taproots—they spread a shallow, fibrous mat. When they’re planted as landscape specimens like this, the root system tends to radiate outward like a disk rather than a sphere.

Based on the size in your photo, this one looks around 7–8 feet tall, maybe 3–4 feet across at the base.

For a plant that size:
* A properly sized transplant root ball would be roughly 30–36 inches in diameter and 14–18 inches deep.

That’s the ideal size if you wanted to preserve maximum roots.

===== How much would that weigh? =====

Soil is heavier than it looks—closer to a reluctant planet than a plant.

A root ball that size, assuming typical loam:
* Diameter: ~32"
* Height: ~16"
* Approximate volume: ~7–8 cubic feet
* Weight of moist soil: 700–900 pounds, potentially more.

If the soil is clay-heavy or wet, it gets…let’s call it character-building.

You can shave the size down if you’re willing to gamble on survival. A 24" root ball drops the weight into the 300–450 lb range, but survival odds decrease as you remove root mass.

===== Will it survive a December transplant? =====

Here’s where biology gets moody.

December in your climate (looks like northeastern US) is far from ideal.
Arborvitae can be transplanted when dormant, but mid-late fall is usually the last safe window. Once the ground starts chilling toward a freeze, rooting slows to a crawl.

Risks in December:
* Newly disturbed roots can’t reestablish before deep cold.
* Frost heave can break fine root hairs.
* Winter burn (desiccation) is much more likely.

Survival odds are maybe 40–60%, depending on:
* Temperature swings
* Soil moisture
* How intact the root system is
* How quickly it’s replanted
* Whether you can mulch heavily and water before the freeze

If you want to give it its best shot:
* Move it on a day above freezing.
* Keep the root ball wrapped tight and moist.
* Plant it immediately—same day.
* Water thoroughly before the ground freezes.
* Heap 6–8 inches of mulch over the root zone.
* Consider burlap wrapping for wind protection.

===== Bottom line =====

It’s probably an arborvitae. It’s certainly heavy. And it’s possibly salvageable, but it demands the sort of stubborn optimism normally reserved for planting fruit trees in a thunderstorm.

If you enjoy a good winter challenge, it’s doable. If you want a sure thing, that’s trickier in December. You could also plant it a bit shallower and accept that you’re playing arboreal roulette.

If you want, I can help estimate tools, manpower, or a strategy for extracting it without reenacting a Yukon gold mining scene.