Tree Cabling & Bracing
North Richland Hills Tree Cabling & Bracing
Tree cabling and bracing consists of installing slightly flexible steel cables and sturdy braces in trees to help lessen the amount of stress related to extreme swaying in high winds, the weight of snow or ice, and the weight of the tree’s dense foliage. This method is especially beneficial in areas where frequent severe weather is typical.
Inputting tree cabling and bracing provides supplemental structural support for the tree. This restricts the amount of movement during severe weather, so the tree’s branches are less likely to fall off, crack, and cause damage to the rest of the tree or your property. Cabling and bracing a tree can be compared to wearing a cast after you’ve broken a bone. Limiting movement helps the bone heal correctly, just like a tree needs to restrict movement to keep its branches from falling off.
How Do You Know if You Need Tree Cabling and Bracing?
Put simply; you don’t. To the untrained eye, determining whether or not you need to cable and brace, your tree is not always obvious. North Richland Hills Tree Service Experts’ experienced arborists are skilled to recognize trees that may benefit from cabling and bracing. We’ll come to thoroughly evaluate and inspect your trees to see if cabling and bracing is the right solution for you. Tree cabling and bracing are typically used together to provide maximum support to even the most damaged trees.
Common Structural Problems
Our expert arborists are experienced in recognizing the most common structural problems in trees. Upon inspection, our team will decide if cabling and bracing is the right option for you. Three of the most common types of structural problems include:
- Cavities
Holes in branches, limbs, or trunks tend to be weak points in trees, which need to be looked over carefully. Cavities can emerge for any number of reasons, and sometimes it has nothing to do with lack of proper care. Cavities can be caused by cold weather, high traffic insect entry points, decay-causing organisms, cold weather, or old pruning wounds (which is easy to avoid with North Richland Hills Tree Service Experts).
2. Co-dominant Stems
As the name suggests, co-dominant stems try to dominate the same base they grow from. It isn’t always a bad thing, but it is important to inspect the shape of the union. “V” shapes typically raise concern, but our team will thoroughly check it to determine if it will potentially cause problems. “U” shapes are not usually a cause for concern, but to be sure, our crew will look at it as well.
3. Cracks in Branch Unions
The two common types of branch unions are weak branch unions and strong branch unions. Weak branch unions are generally “V” shaped and have the potential to lead to weakened limbs that could fall, crack, or damage other parts of the tree or surrounding areas of your landscape. Strong branch unions are usually “U” shaped and has durable connections that are unlikely to cause problems. Our team will take an adequate amount of time to evaluate your trees to guarantee we’re only suggesting necessary services.
Tree Cabling
Tree cabling is used most often to provide extra support for trees that have a type of structural weakness in the upper canopy.
There are two types of tree cabling:
- Static Cabling
- Stops all movement or swaying of the upper canopy
- Uses the highest strength steel cables that offer no leniency
- This method is usually used to repair or provide supplemental support in trees that have existing problems
2. Dynamic Cabling
- Allows ample movement as the tree moves with the wind
- Uses a slightly more elastic type of braided steel cable
- This method is commonly used as a preventative measure
Tree Bracing
Tree bracing is a lot more invasive and is most commonly installed in the lower portion of the tree, rather than the canopy. It reinforces any flaws or faults in the structure of the tree, including:
- Cracked trunks
- Weak branch attachments
- Split unions
- Holes and cavities
- Ingrown bark
