Mission accomplished!

Make room for the mother of all recaps, on the flash-crowdfunded citizen-saved tree, also known as Mission Maple Tree. Picture heavy, cronological and detailed. Moving day: the front car with the rotten banana in the drivers seat, stayed put, but the crucial two moved by some miracle. Michael from Det Grønne Team (The Green Team) got there first, and then came the gravel. Six tonnes sound of more than it looks. The Nemgrus man was kind: "no assignment is too small".

We now have 6 tonnes of gravel up for grabs (worth about 1800 dkr), in Krauseparken. Spread the word.

The ramp was easy. The gravel was stamped and covered. It was the fence from hell, that presented the biggest obstacle. No one saw that coming.

Wood to spare the lawn. (The fence before we dug in, luckily not as new, so hopefully we will be able to restore it, and maybe even improve it slightly).

This fence would not just let itself be pulled up. It was unwilling to cooperate in any way. But we managed to tear it out of the soil. The reestablishing headache would have to wait, because with the fence in place, the move would not be possible.

Last qualified suggestion as to species, is American Ash. But one does not change the name mid-mission, for any reason. It is an estimated twenty years of age, and one of nature's own, a self seeded tree. A tree beating all the odds, and growing so big and beautiful with no help from a nursery. This tree just deserves the chance to fight.

And them came the mover. 

The grabber unfolded and our flash-crowdfunded ramp performed its duty.

The "nails" dug in, one by one. It would not have happened with that fence in place.

What the fence looks like now. We have called Ishøj Hegn to get a quote on a repair (not a replacement because that is just unbelieveable expensive), it is in on Wednesday December 23rd.

The our tree was on the truck, and ready to go.

Second obstacle we had not anticipated: Christmas decorations! Low hanging knick-knacks forced the moving truck to find an alternative route, but eventually he made it to Strandboulevarden. We rode ahead of him in the gardener's truck, with windows all the way down and arms sticking out. Keeping an eye on the crown of the tree, and trying to avoid collisions with other trees and wires. We were so close, when the mission came to a halt in a huge intersection on Østerbrogade.

A low hanging wire was in the way. Michael was as passionate about the mission as any of us: this can't be it, we will find a way! He jumped out of the car, ran into the intersection and climbed the tree. A drama best illustrated in black-and-white.

The mover and the gardner gently tied down the crown. No hysterical honking from the afternoon traffic, not even once. And then we got there. Greeted by a city gardener.

While the tree was still on the horisontal, Michael cut the damaged branches, to minimize exposure to fungus and rot.

And then the tree was lowered and positioned. I a rich clay soil, as the city gardner said was so much better for the tree than what it came from.

So tall that we have to turn the format.

The new neighbors, our tree to the left.

We made it!

The tree is not just across from Jagtvej nr 181. The tree closest to the metro fence, on the corner.

A suggestion has been made that we raise a small plaque with the history of the tree and the move. We have to check with the city, if that is possible. And then we have to meet and dance around our beauiful tree, of course. This calls for a celebration.

This has all been made possible by the citizens, supporting so big and so fast. Without this support, the beautiful tree would have been felled today. This is something we achieved together. The funding is made in two parts. The first paid for the mover, the second for the ramp. Here is the list of contributors for the second round:

A big thank you to everyone who supported.
Here is an overview of the expenses as of today:

It will be a little more with the fence, but we also managed to raise more funds, before we stopped collecting. It is impossible to say how much the fence is going to cost. It may be that more help is needed, we will just have to find that. Any funds not spent will be returned, of course.

Finally we have received a sweet mail from The Green Team, where the owners donate 500 dkr to Mission Maple Tree. So sweet. And even more so because their huge effort made the whole difference. Never again shall I underestimate the importance of having a resourceful gardener involved.

We have all reason to be proud of what we have accomplished, by standing united as citizens. We have made a huge difference and we shall continue to do so. I hope you agree?