props for limbs

[shovelhead]

I need to support a large Bur Oak limb with a prop from the ground. I am not familiar with this and not getting much from google either. Hope to get some direction from some of you, thanks

 

[Blinky]

 

[shovelhead]

That is stout! is that resting on a sling? did you do this?

 

[Colin]

dean, the isa did a story on chinese arboriculture and the chinese used a lot of limb braces. check out the isa web site it should have some links to the article. if it was me i would look into scaffold braces for construction use, these braces have a high working load and are adjustable. you could sink it in concrete or shoot nails in concrete with a ram set. the plate on top could be heated and bent to the shape of the limb or a piece of pipe cut in half and welded on top. i hope this helps. jeff

 

[scottedward58]

may I ask why would you support a limb like that instead of cabling or removing it?

 

[Blinky]

[ QUOTE ]
That is stout! is that resting on a sling? did you do this?

[/ QUOTE ]

Nope, not my work, I don't know who did it.

 

[shovelhead]

We are wanting to prop the limb from the ground to stabilze a damaged mainstem due to lightning. I was planning to use steel rods but this application would do more harm then good as far as the health of the tree. We have supported the crown with a system but still lacking stability for the limb. if the limb was to fail it would take away a good amount of the crown on one side. We are attempting to keep it safe to avoid removal...the tree is 70"+ DBH with very limited anchor points in the crown. We have been filming the whole project so we can share it later.

Jeff, thanks for the info...

We have come up with an idea to use one steel post either galvanized or powder coated with a "Y" at the top. This "Y" would hang a custom sling to lay the limb to. We dont want to disrupt the root zone so we are searching alturnatives to anchoring with concrete. We do have an air spade if need be. Any help or ideas would be great. This tree is very old and a real landmark to the community.

 

[southsoundtree]

Shovelhead,

Why are you trying to avoid concrete? Is there a concern with concrete making the soil alkaline? Can there be a buffer, such as a plastic garbage can?

Seems like having an airspade could allow low-impact exploratory excavation for footing locations and root pruning, maybe with an added decompaction benefit.



The Washington state capital, Olympia has a maple on the Capitol Campus that has been Cobra cabled in several places, maybe 7, and has numerous ground props in the form of metal poles. I don't have any pictures of it, but will take some if I can get by there. You might like to "Google" or "Google Images" it. -----> Hold the phone, I found a link

http://www.wolberts.com/gallery.html

This company works in Olympia. Seems they did the work.

 

[shovelhead]

Southsound thanks a bunch, this helps me tremendously. Our project is right next to a walk way as well . This really helps. Thanks again. I will consider a concrete footing. pics to follow when we complete the job.

 

[southsoundtree]

I think that all will be interested to see the results.

 

[southsoundtree]

Ed Hayes, author of Evaluating Tree Defects a Field Guide by Ed Hayes, www.safetrees.com, edhayes@safetrees.com, has a steel-propped huge trunk in a photo on Page 23. He may be able to give you leads.

 

[southsoundtree]

Shovelhead and any other tree-proppers,


I took pictures of the capitol campus trees that are propped. Do you have your idea sorted out? I will try to post them sooner, if they will help you. Otherwise, I'll get to it sometime.

 

[shovelhead]

SOUTHSOUND, thanks for the effort. I am still very interested. We have submitted the prop to the client and it is under review. I believe we will be needind all the ideas we can gather. Come to find out the tree is near an indian burial ground! Now I am trying to come up with a way of proping without breaking ground. Thanks again for the help....

 

[southsoundtree]

Shovelhead-

Some of the anchor points were bolted to large rocks/ small boulders, as you will see once I post the pictures, hopefully tomorrow. No concrete pouring. A more natural look. It was similar to how a streetlight is bolted to a concrete footing, except they used expansion bolts or maybe epoxied studs into the boulder (I don't know which).

Pictures to come soon.

 

[shovelhead]

I like the idea of using a boulder

 

[NickfromWI]

Here's a pic of some awesome braces. Karina and I had an article published in TCI in Oct of '07 about the tree. I think if you do a treebuzz search on "hobart oak" you should find something.

Lemme find a pic...

love
nick

 

[NickfromWI]

The stands in the last pic were phase one. The tops of the supports were eventually replaced with contoured wooded "pads."

 

[guymayor]

the tree in blinky's pic is resting on an iron beam, and now has swallowed it. a good how-not-to! The ISA support bmp has some good guidance on propping. $8.00

Karina and Nick's article is attached. Keep it in your files, dude--you wrote it to share the story, right? nevermind the other piece on guying with Arbor-Tie; it's pretty lame.

 

[guymayor]

[ QUOTE ]
Hope to get some direction from some of you, thanks

[/ QUOTE ]Hard to say without seeing--got a camera?

o and the pecan in the attached may well be getting a prop in about 5 years when stem rot increases.

lots of live oaks in fla get propped too.

 

[southsoundtree]

http://s658.photobucket.com/albums/uu303/southsoundtree/


Here's a link to my photobucket photos. There are about a dozen pictures of the trees propped and circus tent style Cobra cabled at the WA State Capitol Campus.

Hope they help. I don't know how long the systems have been in place.