4) I am guessing this tree is 4-5 years old.

The trunk diameter at breast height is almost 3 and a half inches.

The tree was here when we bought the property 5 years ago. I don't
remember how tall it was then, but I'd guess maybe 8 feet. So I'm
guessing the tree is now about 10 years old?


The labor to dig up and transplant this tree will definately cost
more than twice as much as buying a nursery tree and planting it
yourself.

None of the nurseries I've been to has maples this large. Last year I
saw a couple of very large burlaped trees at a nursery in the next
town; they were priced in the $400 range (I don't remember what
species).

I was hoping I could hire a tree mover for a couple hundred bucks to
dig up my maple and move it 150 feet to its new location. I haven't
started making the calls yet to find out if I'm dreaming.

The local Lowe's was selling 7-foot silver maples with 3/4" trunks in 3
gallon pails for under ten bucks. I could handle that job myself, but
it would be worth the extra money to me to have the (much) larger tree.
Besides, if I don't move the tree, I'm probably going to have to take
the chainsaw to it. It's in a very unfavorable location.