Tree cabling and tree bracing is necessary when a tree grows so large that it can no longer support the weight of its branches and leaves. Viking Tree Service has certified arborists who know how to brace and cable trees properly so that the tree can survive despite damages or an array of risk factors.
Determining if the tree should have cables or braces – or in some cases, both – is not an easy task. This specialized service is done by arborists who are trained specifically in this type of tree service. A tree company that does not know the specifics of cabling and bracing can actually damage the tree more than they help it. Only trust experts like the ones at Viking Tree Service when it comes to this type of service!
Multi-trunked trees and trees with open canopies are the most common types of trees that we’re called upon to cable or brace. This includes Live Oaks, Pecan trees, Cedar Elms, American Elms, Red Oaks, and Arizona Ash trees. Of course, the list goes on, but these are common ones in the Oshkosh area, and because they are easy for most people to recognize, we use these as examples when we discuss with a potential customer what a multi-trunked or open-canopy tree looks like.
Multi-trunked trees are at risk of splitting because the individual trunks usually don’t grow straight up, but at varying angles from the ground. This automatically makes them weaker than single-trunked trees. Combined with the fact that multi-trunked trees have individual canopies that can individually become as heavy as a single tree themselves, this means that any of the trunks are capable of breaking then, like a domino effect, that side of the tree will be weaker, putting stress on the other side of the tree and its entire root system.
Open-canopy trees tend to be quite large…think Elms and Oaks. An open canopy means that the tree is extra wide at the top, and when you’re talking about trees that can grow to 60 feet or higher, this can mean serious danger for anything below if even a small branch were to break off and fall to the ground. Tree cabling or tree bracing is the only surefire way to protect everyone and everything below open-canopy trees.
These two types of trees are especially susceptible to breakage and splitting, so tree cabling or tree bracing is the answer. There are two times that we would apply cables or braces to a tree: 1) if it is in danger of splitting or 2) if the tree has already split. Both situations can cause the tree to break completely at any time. It won’t even take a storm or high winds in order to put pressure on a weakened branch, especially if it has a v-shaped connection at the tree’s trunk instead of a stronger u-shaped connection. The weight of the tree itself is sometimes all it takes to cause it to fall on your home, cars, or something else valuable.
In either case, whether the tree has already split or if you just think it could, Viking Tree Service’s arborists can decide the best course of action in order to preserve the tree. When they examine the tree, they will immediately let you know w t needs to happen, and as soon as you give the ok, they will get started with your tree cabling or bracing services. Viking Tree Service works quickly when it comes to tree cabling and bracing because the integrity of the tree and the safety of your home or business are too important to put off!
Once a professional from our team has installed the cables or braces in your trees, they will be virtually unnoticeable from the ground. Only you will know that the trees are stronger and safer than ever! Once you have had a tree cabling or tree bracing service, that particular tree will need to be monitored yearly to make sure that the hardware that has been installed is still working properly, supporting some or all of the weight of certain branches. Our arborists can do these kinds of inspections easily, usually by just looking at the tree’s cables or braces close up.
As the tree grows, your tree specialist will determine whether or not new braces and cables are necessary. Sometimes they are, but other times, regular tree trimming is enough to keep the tree safe, in a consistent shape, and supporting its own weight the way it should.