Old brace on Beech

[Paul Barton]

I inspected some mature Beech trees at an 'adventure centre' last week; the trees are used as part of a high ropes course. Accessing them was easy!

 

One of the trees had a steel rod, approx 1.5m long, between two of the stems. Where the rod entered each stem, there was a budge of smoother bark around the entire circumference of each stem. I suspect that this may mean the stems were braced using steel rings at either end of the rod, instead of using bolts drilled in to the wood.

 

The centre manager says the tree was like that since before he arrived in the 1980s.

 

I am pondering what the effect of occluded steel rings would be on the tree? There are no signs of dieback above, but surely constriction would lead to a potential fracture point?

 

I have not seen this before, so wondered if the wider experience of my fellow arbtalkers might reveal some more wisdom

[Stephen Blair]

I think you are looking above the problem, there must be a big fork below you with some interesting goings on. My concern would be if the bracing ever failed and the big union below would just give out. I've cut loads of trees full of metal and steel wires, rods and bands. The problem was never within the tree, it was because the brace got old and failed.

Personally, if it's a tree kids are invited to play in and be around then it's time that stopped.

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

look at the change in bark pattern, thats not good, its being choked, that will end badly IMO

[Paul Barton]

The forks below seemed ok Steve. I'm more concerned with the effect of 30 years of strangulation.

 

I was surprised there was no dieback but figure that the vascular tissue must be heavily distorted but still intact.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Arbtalk

[Loz]

I would be interested to know what you decided with this one, Paul?

cheers, loz