It IS a tulip tree...I'll let someone in NJ or thereabouts advise you on best transplanting time.

Sara

Transplant in the fall when it goes dormant (October) or in the spring before bud break (March) for best results.

Now is not the best transplant time, then again moving an eight footer in the fall with a larger root system does not sound like a better choice.

Go ahead and do it now I say. That way if the tree does not make it to fall you can pick a replacement.

FWIW, I think this species is under appreciated.

you move a deciduous tree.. when its naked.. fall or spring.. depending where you are ..

otherwise all the leaves will fall off..

and it will waste any stored energy.. releafing.. instead of growing the roots you cut off ...

if some project requires immediate moving.. so be it.. but dont expect much ...

ken

toronado888 - do you mean that it can get to 8 feet by fall?? I would like to move it and give it a fighting chance but am just not sure if it will damage the garage wall. Does the root system spread out much or does it have deep root system?

Unless they grow like weeds around you, I'd give it its best chance it has by transplanting in spring before the buds swell. Fall is fine too if you can get a decent amount roots and depending on your soil type. For example if you have clay soil I wouldn't bother with transplanting in fall. Just my preference.

Yes, skeylargo! Yellow poplar grows fast, and can get to over 100 feet tall. You do NOT want this 1' from your garage!

I have not seen a tree like this anywhere near me so it still a mystery how it got there. I do have a clay soil, so now I just have to decide if I want to chance it leaving it until spring and chance a damage to garage wall or just move it now with a good chance of killing it. Neither sounds like a good option :(
Thank you all for the informatio.

This is a big old one, but yeah, they do grow.

Tuliptree/Tulip Poplar/Yellow Poplar (all names for Liriodendron tulipifera) is FAST growing in ideal conditions. That four-footer could easily be 8 feet by fall, as suggested.

Well, I guess that tree is getting moved tomorrow!

That's one big tree toronado3800.

Does "4-5 feet tall now" include this year's current growth? If not, yes it could be close to 8 feet by fall, otherwise, probably not. As it is, its pretty big to move as a one-person, untrained job, but you can give it a go after its dormant.

Honestly, if you've got one that big growing freely near you, you should look for smaller ones nearby to move where you want, and consider killing the one by your garage. If you have planting beds or hedges, its entirely possible there are small specimens there. If you really want your own tulip poplar...

I'm in eastern PA, so similar area to New Jersey. I've transplanted tulip trees in summer about the same size. Ken is right that they will drop their leaves. They should do ok repopulating leaf growth, but I've had to reduce the height of some by half to reduce the amount of stress in the plant during re-leafing.

An under appreciated tree, in my opinion, if you've got the space.
Exceptional growth rate

skeylargo, did you end up moving the tree?

I've found that wild-grown Liriodendron often has a sparse root system and can be "touchy" to transplant at much bigger than a few feet tall. A 9-footer behind my parents garage was the first tree I ever killed by transplanting when I was a kid.

Nursery grown (root pruning of various methods) usually transplant fine, however.