HOW HEAVY IS A LARGE TREE? I was astounded by the answer. For the answer, read to the end, where the answer is written in words.
The Archaeology article tells how one of the difficulties of preserving what remains of the Golden House is the need to reduce the weight of the park and gardens above the surviving walls of the Golden House by more than half. The weight of the earth covering the archaeological remains is conservatively estimated at about six thousand pounds per square meter, not including the weight of the trees. One laurel tree, which had stood above the Domus Aurea’s ornate frescoes, was removed and found to have weighed more than thirty thousand pounds.