Rare Albino Redwood Tree Moved 450 Feet at Cost of $150,000

Thursday was moving day for a rare redwood tree in Northern California's wine country. Workers dug up what’s believed to be the world's tallest albino redwood chimera.

It had been set to be cut down to make way for train tracks at the Cotati train station.

Crews used a crane to replant the 70-year-old tree at the station.

A spokesman for the Sonoma-Marin Area Rail Transit agency, known as SMART, told NBC Bay Area last month that moving the tree the 450 feet would cost $150,000.

"It's a complicated move," spokesman Matt Stevens said. "But when we determined the tree was this important to the community, we decided to relocate it."

Neighbors and tree experts campaigned to save the 52-foot tall tree after they found out about plans to cut it down.

According to SMART construction crews, the tree was growing about 10 feet away from a new railway.

Construction on the new 43-mile track will begin next April.

Arborists say the albino redwood is one of only 10 in the world.

Time-lapse video courtesy of The Press Democrat. NBC Bay Area's Lisa Fernandez contributed to this report.

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