Braces or Cables: What Should You use For Trees

Tree leaning can be as a result of weak limbs, loose soil or some structural deficiencies which might not be visible. Such trees pose a potential hazard to people and property, especially in windy and stormy weather. If you don’t plan on removing your leaning tree, cabling or bracing is an option that can hold a leaning tree securely into position. Reasons that can necessitate cabling or bracing include;

1. Hazard reduction. A leaning tree is a ticking time bomb that can cause injuries to pedestrians and your property. Cabling and bracing will prevent them from uncontrolled falling.
2. Restoration. This can be done to extend the life of a valued tree.
3. Preventing breakage. V-shaped crotches and co-dominant stems have a tendency of breaking under pressure. Cabling or bracing can prevent such breakages.
4. Young tree. Such trees have weak stems which can easily break in stormy conditions.

Cabling refers to installing flexible steel cables or rods in trees to increase their structure strength to enable them to withstand stress from storm weather, snow, ice and heavy foliage. Cabling is mainly done to restrict movement of branches which can break under stress. Unlike bracing, cabling is done on only mature and big trees. Steel rods can be drilled between V-shaped branches to firmly hold them together preventing movement. Dynamic cables can also be used to strengthen healthy trees that don’t stand a risk of failing.

Bracing, on the other hand, involves the use of steel cable strands and rods to anchor young and mature trees that risk failing. Young trees with weak and immature stems can easily break in windy conditions; they can be braced by using four rods anchored to the ground and providing support by bolting them to the young tree stem. Cable bracing can also be done on V-crotches of young trees which can break apart in stormy weather.  
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These two methods of providing support to health and failing trees are almost the same. It is vital to note that cabling is done on trees that require a stronger anchorage while bracing offers little anchorage. 

Learn more about braces and cables by talking to a professional at Las Vegas Tree Trimmers. 

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Las Vegas Tree Trimmers
​5354 Lindell Rd. Apt. 1111
Las Vegas, NV 89118
(702) 793-2711

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