Tree cabling is a structural tool that helps protect trees and tree limbs from splitting and dropping. It is a fantastic tool that improves tree health, reduces the risk of property damage, and reduces the risk of personal injury.
The Art of Tree Cabling
Tree cabling is a handy tool that uses a system of cables to reduce the weight of splayed limbs. When a tree limb grows long, and there is a lot of foliage on the tip, the weight of the leaves can cause the limb to split at the trunk and fall. Add to that the weight of rain, ice, or snow, and the risk of the limb falling becomes more significant.
Placing a cable on the limb and attaching it to sturdy support reduces the weight from leaves and environmental elements, and the risk of the limb splitting and dropping decreases.
Therefore, Tree Cabling is the art of adding support structures (cables) to tree limbs that pose a risk of breaking and falling.
Situations Where Tree Cabling Is Appropriate
There are a few situations where tree cables or braces are appropriate. The first is when certain species of trees are young. Oaks, for example, can have a short trunk and a handful of branches that splay outwards, creating a beautiful canopy. The problem is that oak limbs can be very long and heavy. Adding braces or tree cables to the tree helps train the branches as they grow.
Tree cabling is also an excellent option if you have a mature tree where branches extend over a roof, driveway, or sidewalk. Adding braces to those categories of limbs decreases the risk of physical damage to property and personal injury to you, your family, and pedestrians.
Any situation where a limb from a tree may pose a hazard to physical property or present a risk of personal injury is a critical situation. Sometimes tree cabling can help mitigate those risks, and sometimes limb removal and tree trimming are more appropriate. That decision is given based on individual tree shape, as each tree is different.
Why Start Tree Cabling Early?
When you add braces or tree cables early in the tree’s life, you gain the opportunity to train the tree and tree limbs to grow in a more upright position. The force of gravity is not as strong when the limbs are more vertical. The tree’s overall shape is sculpted with tree trimming and shaping, but the branching structure remains stable because of the cabling.
For more information about tree cabling or to see if our tree cabling services are an option that is appropriate for your trees, give Excel Tree Care a call.