If you heard the term “tree cabling” and thought it had something to do with connecting cables to trees for a reason related to health and shape, then you would be right.
Sometimes trees mature at rates so rapid that their trunks cannot support their weight. Imagine a young boy with a major growth spurt in which his body had difficulty supporting his massive limbs. When this maturation takes place with a tree, trunks feel pressure and it puts a tree at risk of numerous things: falling, injuring humans or property, or rendering the tree itself inevitably unhealthy forever.
While cables can’t save trees that are already dying and unhealthy, they can assist the oddly-shaped trees that are susceptible but still have time to be readjusted for the long haul. When problems become apparent, pruning can become an arbitrary task and cabling turns into a saving grace.
As previously mentioned, protection of people and their property is a huge part of this. Nobody wants a tree falling on their home or vehicle, let alone on them due to a freak accident of a branch giving way.
When trees are negatively affected from reasons other than natural causes, such as from a bad thunderstorm or unsatisfactory construction work, cabling can take what remains of the tree and help nurse it back to a state of stability. Maintaining appearance becomes a vital task.
Cabling can also help prevent a tree from developing any other damage, such as an opening for fungi— the equivalent of an open wound on human skin that invites bacteria and a possible infection.
It’s important to note that cabling is not always the answer and is certainly no guarantee of limb failure. The function of cabling/bracing/guying/propping trees are to mitigate the lack of structural integrity. This is typically because of genetics, storm/wind damage or as a result of improper pruning practices.
Trees, after all, are living things and some are in better shape than others…just like humans. If you are wary of a tree in your vicinity for whatever reason, it’s likely time to call us at Camelot Tree & Shrub so our experts can properly assess the situation. Cabling can be the savior you never knew your tree needed.
