Cabling Forum on Treebuzz?

[theXman]

Re: Cable Talk

Guy,

I recently purchased the BMP Support Systems book.

I looked through it a little so far.

If you have it, on page 26, the diagram at the bottom of the page (Figure 30) has this text:

"With tree-to-tree guys, the anchor should be installed at half the tree height or higher on the anchor tree."

Is that written right? half the tree height or higher on the anchor tree?

shouldn't it say, half the tree height or LOWER on the anchor tree?

Lower the better in my opinion.

I don't want the unstable tree pulling the anchor tree over because we placed it up high in the anchor tree and gave the unstable tree plenty of leverage on the anchor tree.

the diagram picture looks fine, but the wording is not.

was that just a typing mistake?

 

[opposablethumb]

Re: Cable Talk

Guy and others,

From your November article in TCIA:

"When the tree is forced to move in new and unexpected ways, risk of failure is increased."

This is the crux of the confusion for me. Don't support systems, by nature, cause "new" movement of the tree's canopy in relation to itself?

Even when a tree is "over-extending" a limb, or leaning, don't most trees grow in such a way as to at least make an effort to compensate, like reaction wood? Does a cable force "new" movement that messes with this natural structure?

I don't believe I know how trees would compensate for inclusions, if they can at all.

Don't hear me the wrong way here...I'm not questioning support systems - I'm willing to accept the general consensus in this thread that the trees that they have or have seen cabled were better off in the long run. After reading your article though, I got the impression that support systems could be done in such a way as to actually compromise the tree's structure, so I'm proceeding with caution.

Stay tuned: I've got pictures of an interesting white oak that we've got...I call it "The Tree that Cabled Itself" or "The Triangle Tree."

 

[guymayor]

Re: Cable Talk

X yeah that definitely looks like a typo.

thumb, I think dose has to be considered in terms of changing movement. This concern is one reason dynamic systems were developed, but i think careful design and placement with steel avoids too much change and ensures a reasonable degree of stability. The article was more of a how-not-to, because I'd recently seen some catastrophic failures and frankly they were more interesting to write about.

Let's get X write the how-to; he's got more experience.

So your oak is self-grafted? Gotta love it when trees support themselves.

 

[Frax]

Re: Cable Talk

I feel like I am getting a lot of information from a tree when I am in one on a windy day. I'm trying to feel how the tree moves. They tend to circle instead of whip back and forth. When I'm in a tree that I am cabling I am even more so trying to understand how that tree has designed itself to move.
I think incorrect cabling could force a tree to respond in ways that could introduce a new bending moment it has not built itself for or create a new stress point. But I'm a long way from being a 'tree whisperer'. I am still mostly asking the tree and probably not quite understanding everything it is telling me yet.
I probably should read the article in TCIA. I know it's an American publication but maybe I could get a subscription here.

Want to hear about your Oak too Robert.