Folks, I need your help and advise about rescuing several trees in the wild that will be bulldozed over in mid August. The land that will be cleared is in southern Indiana. The owner allowed me to dig out any tree I want, as long as I am done by mid August. There are several interesting trees worth rescuing with high bonsai potential, if I can just dig them out and keep them alive. We are talking about oaks (white, red and scarlet), hornbeam and ironwood, several American beech trees, several pines (P. sylvestris) with GREAT potential, I saw one eastern cedar (J. virginiana)and probably a bunch of sugar and red maples. I know this sounds greedy, but the quantity and quality of the trees is really astonishing. Most of the trees have been kept smaller (between 2ft and 6ft) by browsing deer and human negligence. Trunk diameters are from about one inch to the size of beer cans, some even more than that. Does anyone have experience in digging trees out at the wrong time of the year. Obviously I am going to try and get as many fine roots as possible. What else can I do to increase their chances to survive? I read in several books and magazines that you can defoliate the deciduous trees completely to minimize water loss while they re-establish roots lost in the dig? Sounds radical to me, but if anyone has tried that and it worked I am willing to give it a try? What about the pines and junipers? Sorry to be so lengthy, but any advise or experiences you have in digging out trees are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Marc