Cabling this Birch tree

[Jehinten]

A customer has a Birch tree that saw a significant load in January during an ice storm. He has asked me about cabling the tree back to the other leads. Upon inspection the trunk does have damage where it started to fail.

Minimal risk, it's near a home but out of reach. I would definitely plan on end weight reduction, but is this a situation for dynamic or static cables? Does it matter much for such a small load?

The other two leads are in good condition.

 

[ATH]

How bad would it look with that whole trunk gone?

To me static or dynamic on that probably doesn't matter. But it's more about the load in 20 years when the tree is big enough to reach the house. Do they intend the tree remain for that long?

Signed,
Never seen a multi-stem River birch where I don't want to take at least one stem.

 

[Basswood]

I’m more concerned that it’s actively failing and would lean toward full removal of that stem.

 

[Jehinten]

He really wants to keep it. Although removal of the one would be the easiest fastest option.

I don't believe it is still actively failing, more so that it did in January and then the ice melted. He said it was touching the ground at one point.

 

[Serf Life]

Ah clump river birch... If they want it we would hit it back super hard (they respond very well), 4:1 it as much as possible and put in a static cable.

 

[evo]

I’ve found birch to be very elastic. Had a call for a large planting of small trees completely bent over like overloaded fishing poles. Some very light reduction and they came back up near 70% to ‘normal’. I inspected a few months later and they continued their correction to near normal.

With this one the tension fibers have let go, and in my area birch doesn’t compartmentalize well. I’d dissuade the clients expectations and if they are still stuck on keeping the stem do a light reduction and static cabling with the written intent of likely needing removal within 5-10 years. The cable could be bolted in the affected stem, and attached to a web strap on the anchor side since it’s temporary. If you need to crank it hard it would be best to consider a prop or bolt both ends of the cable at the expense of the anchor stem.

 

[Jehinten]

The cable could be bolted in the affected stem, and attached to a web strap on the anchor side since it’s temporary.

That's such a simple solution and yet one I've never considered. Thanks.


Yes these Birch are very elastic. I will sometimes do a deep notch without a backcut letting the tension side give way like this for maximum directional swing. With or without a pull line. I also find that rarely does a storm damaged limb actually release from the tree. It'll hang upside down from a few fibers and sometimes even still grow. I haven't noticed compartmenilization on these wounds as typically the lead is damaged enough to warrant full removal of the lead.

 

[ghostice]

Around here when birch develop lotsa stem cracks they are usually prone to decay and even failure a few years later. They may stand and hang around a while but I've generally found they don't cope well with structural issues and give up the ghost within five to ten years. We have been drought prone last five years which may have something to do with it but if it was near or over structure I'd get rid of that stem at the least. Birch are also prone (around here) to included bark which adds to the problems.