How much damage will tree house, swings, etc., do to my linden tree? How to reduce damage?

[zwiebelspaetzle]

Hello,

I have a large linden tree in my backyard (see photos below). Going by the age of the house, it could be up to 100 years old. I estimate the height at 45-50 ft, and diameter of trunk roughly 3 ft. There aren't any large dead sections. This tree was a selling point of the house.

Previous owners had tied a couple swings in the branches, and my children would love a tree house. Rather than building a large structure around the trunk, our preference is to have some places to sit among the branches. I think the linden shape, with its large fork of upward-angled branches will lend itself well to this.

I understand that there's no way to permanently attach things without creating a wound. I'd like to know just how much harm these things will do to the tree, and how to best minimize it. If it comes down to it, I'd rather give up these plans than lead the tree to an untimely death.

Considering the size and age of the tree, how harmful would any of the following be to the tree?
- Re-attach swings with wide straps or eye screws, to avoid strangling the branches.
- Re-position straps wrapped around the branches annually.
- Install eye screws in the large branches around the fork, and use them to hold a rope net and/or suspend boards.
- Install a couple of Treehouse Attachment Bolts--in case I suddenly become wealthy .

Any suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[Reach]

Personally, I would use bolts, through-bolts where possible for anything life support, unless you’re using rated attachments. Moving straps annually is a great idea, but unlikely to actually happen, so my thought is that it would be best to use something that does not require annual maintenance, although annual inspection of all your hardware is very important to ensure safety.

 

[Basswood]

Something significant like a house I’d build on supports separate from the tree and give plenty of space to the tree. No walls, supports, etc up against the tree. No weight on the tree itself, or very little. Dig the holes for the posts with a non intrusive device like an air spade.

I would think small platforms secured directly to the tree with through bolts would be ok. Again don’t put any of the actual built platforms against the tree itself. Consider hiring an arborist to put in a cable system for supplemental support.

 

[JeffGu]

It's a Linden tree... also called Basswood. The wood is commonly used for making things like drafting tables, shutters, window blinds... and for carving. It is extremely light and soft. I would keep that in mind. Carving it is like carving a bar of soap.

 

[Daniel]

I would be very cautious about wounding a linden, particularly on the main stem(s). They rot out very quickly.