Cabling & Bracing for Tree Structural Support
Cabling is a technique in which you use cables to help
support weakened limbs or branches. This process works best when it is used to
support thick horizontally standing branches. Bracing is the process by which
you use steel rods or wire to give huge support to trees. These techniques when combined with tree trimming can vastly increase the structural integrity of a weak tree. The
cables work by redirecting large amounts of stress over a greater area. In many
cases Cabling and Bracing can be used to keep split trunks from expanding. It’s
important to note that as trees grow in age there health depends a lot on the
direction of limbs inside the crown.
In many cases when you see a tree that has
a vertical split of the trunk this means that the limbs inside the crown were
not properly trimmed and lead to too much stress on the tree. In this case cabling
and bracing is an excellent choice for helping your tree to redistribute all of
the extra stress. In some cases younger trees may benefit greatly from cabling.
Typically, these are trees that identify characteristics that foreshadow poor
structure or health later in life. It’s
important to have an arborist inspect your trees before you make any decisions.