Help me please! Cable-bracing

[apggs]

Ladies and gents,

 

Help please! I have no experience of working with cable bracing whatsoever and would really appreciate some help and words of wisdom

 

Hypothetical recommendations for a real-life situation (uni assignment).

 

Avenue of 88 years old F. sylvatica some cabled, some not. Of those that are, some are intact and some have snapped.

 

From a management recommendation stance, what do I recommend for the trees with snapped braces? I have no idea how long they've been snapped, but long enough for them to have gone very rusty. They are an old type that are drilled into the co-dom, but not all the way through.

 

Am I correct in thinking that it would be poor to recommend removing the bolts as this will leave a massive great hole that will allow in P&D. It could be argued that the cabling wasn't needed at the time of prescription.

 

If I decide to recommend re-instating the braces, what happens to the old ones?

 

Many thanks for your time.

 

Adam

[Alinicoll]

If the broken braces are unsightly then cut the cable off without cutting into the tree. The tree will occlude the metal in time without any problems.

 

If the braces do need replacing you are better of with dynamic non invasive bracing which allows some movement. Movement as long as it is not too excessive allows the trees to put on adaptive growth and strengthen themselves.

 

Whether or not new bracing is required and any current in tact bracing needs re -inforcing is a matter for an inspection.

[jomoco]

Hi Adam.

 

If you post some pics of the beech trees in question with good detail?

 

I'll be happy to help you.

 

All these new synthetic dynamic cabling systems are pure junk IMO.

 

Jomoco

[David Humphries]

Hi Adam.

 

If you post some pics of the beech trees in question with good detail?

 

I'll be happy to help you.

 

All these new synthetic dynamic cabling systems are pure junk IMO.

 

Jomoco

 

Jomoco, have you at some point been tied up with dynamic hollow rope bracing and left dangling up in tree by any chance?

 

I've followed most of your anti rope cabling posts and am intrigued by your negativity.

 

Do you not see any situations where that type is beneficial as opposed to wire ?

 

Did you ever catch our thread on using the system as tethers on an old habitat tree?

 

http://arbtalk.co.uk/forum/video-forum/67516-bracing-tree-its-habitat-value.html

 

 

 

Like Ali's advice in the first reply, btw

 

.

[jomoco]

It all has to do with durability David.

 

Whether it's abrasion, chewing rats or squirrels, or UV degradation?

 

You don't need a PhD to know galvanized EHS cable can withstand those very forces decades longer than synthetic polypropylene mate.

 

Now I understand that getting your client to pay you to maintain an inferior synthetic system every few years puts more money in your pocket.

 

But I think more in terms of what's best for the tree and client long term.

 

I speak from experience David, with installed traditional cables that are over 25-30 years old and still intact and providing value to both trees and clients.

 

Jomoco

[David Humphries]

It all has to do with durability David.

 

Yep, I get that

 

But no room for a 'little natural movement' in static installations.

 

Movement encourages adaptive strengthening wood, no ?

 

 

.

[jomoco]

Sure David, and as soon as a steel cabling system that uses steel inline compression springs to achieve a dynamic limited throw becomes available?

 

I'll be an enthusiastic proponent of that system!

 

Provided it's not anchored circumferentially as a tree girdling strangulation system of course!

 

Jomoco:biggrin:

[David Humphries]

Sure David, and as soon as a steel cabling system that uses steel inline compression springs to achieve a dynamic limited throw becomes available?

 

I'll be an enthusiastic proponent of that system!:

 

Have you not bent your engineering will to the development of such a system as yet, come on man, we're waiting

 

 

.

[jomoco]

What? My cambium savers and cabling alignment tubes not enough for yu?

 

Jomoco:biggrin:

[treeseer]

apggs, the inspection would give a range of options, the most typical of which might be re-installation higher up. I recommend checking BS3998 on this, which describes BOTH static and dynamic systems. Your uni would have a copy I trust.

 

The terminology is overly dichotomous, as static systems do allow for some movement. Also, adaptive growth is stimulated by many factors, so the advantage of dynamic systems may be overstated. see image.

Personally I favor through-cabling with wedgegrip fasteners, but have seen many dynamic systems doing a good job.

 

Have fun, David--Jon is the Energizer Bunny of anti-synthetic ranters.