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Tree Cabling

Here is a cabling project we did this summer on a pecan tree that had split in a fork during high winds. The high tension cable forces both sides to always move together in the wind preventing them from moving opposite directions and allowing the fork to open up and possible split and break.

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Tree Trimming & Pruning + Tree Cabling

Before and after pictures of a large live oak tree we trimmed out after a third of the tree broke out onto the house. The customer wanted to save the tree if possible rather than removing it and starting over…

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Tree Cabling

Cabling in place. Top cable is the main tension cable holding the halves together. Both of the lower cables are back ups tied into larger wood just in case a severe storm causes the smaller tops to break out on the main cable…

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Email Address

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Phone Number

(318) 470-5867

Location

1726 Allenwood Ln, Princeton, LA 71067, United States

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Bringing a Storm-Damaged Live Oak Back from the Brink

Service: Tree Trimming & Pruning + Tree Cabling
Tree: Large, mature live oak
Location: Rural residential property, Northwest Louisiana
Season: Summer

The Challenge

This big live oak is the centerpiece of the property. Its wide, low limbs shade the home and the front yard. But during a storm, roughly a third of the tree broke away and came down onto the house.

For many property owners, that would be the end of the tree. Damage on that scale leaves the remaining tree unbalanced. And with a fresh wound at the base, the stems that are left can be more vulnerable to splitting.

The homeowner loved this tree and asked a simple question: could it be saved, instead of cutting it down?

Our Assessment

Kevin Lee walked the property and looked closely at what was left of the tree: the remaining stems, the break at the base, the weight of the long horizontal limbs, and how much canopy it was carrying.

His conclusion was that the tree could be saved, but only if two things happened. First, it needed to carry less weight and catch less wind. Secondly, the remaining halves needed to be tied together so they could not split apart the way the first section had.

The Solution

Step 1: Reducing weight and wind drag. Our crew climbed and trimmed the tree, carefully thinning the canopy and reducing the weight on the long limbs. A thinner canopy lets wind pass through instead of pushing the whole tree like a sail, which takes a lot of stress off the stems and the damaged base. Our arborists planned every cut to keep the tree’s natural live oak shape.

Step 2: Installing support cables. With the load reduced, we installed three cables to tie the remaining halves of the tree together and help prevent another split. (We’ve explained how this kind of system works in more detail in the case of a Cabling System Built with Backups.)

Step 3: Clean up. All the cut limbs and debris were removed from the yard, and the property was left clean.

The Results

  • The homeowner kept the tree instead of losing it entirely and starting over with a young tree.
  • The canopy is lighter and catches less wind, while still providing plenty of shade.
  • The remaining halves are cabled together to reduce the risk of another major failure.
  • The tree still looks full and natural, just healthier and better balanced.

Since the Job: In the months since the trimming, the live oak has put out healthy new growth, and the canopy is filling back in around the cuts. The three cables are holding the remaining halves together as intended. The tree still shades the yard and the house the way it always has, just with less weight and a lot less wind pushing on it. We’ll inspect the cables and the old break at the base once a year to make sure everything stays on track.

Have a split, cracked, or storm-damaged tree you’d rather save than remove? Call Kevin Lee at (318) 470-5867 for a free, no-pressure assessment. We’ll tell you honestly whether cabling can help or whether removal is the safer choice.

Saving a Split Pecan Tree with Synthetic Cabling

Service: Tree Cabling
Tree: Mature pecan
Location: Residential neighborhood, Northwest Louisiana
Season: Summer

The Challenge
A summer windstorm put serious stress on this mature pecan, which shades the front and side of a family home. When the wind died down, the homeowners noticed a long crack running down the trunk. It was right below the main fork where the tree divides into two large stems.
With a split like this, every time the wind blows, the two sides of the fork can sway in opposite directions. That motion deepens the crack a little more with each gust of wind. It can eventually tear the tree in half, and even worse, a large section can fall on your house or the driveway.
The homeowners did not want to lose a healthy, productive pecan. They wanted to know if it could be saved.

Our Assessment
Kevin Lee inspected the tree in person to check the depth and length of the split. As a Louisiana-licensed arborist, he assessed the health of the canopy and the strength of the wood above and below the fork. Kevin found that the tree was otherwise healthy and full, which made it a good candidate for support rather than removal.
The plan was to stop the two halves from moving against each other, so the split would no longer be pulled open in the wind.

The Solution
Our climber went up into the canopy and installed a high-tension cable between the two main stems, well above the split. The cable ties the two sides together, so when the wind hits, both halves move as one unit instead of pulling apart.

The cable is high-strength Dyneema synthetic rope, which has several advantages:

  • Strong but lightweight. It is far lighter than steel, which matters high in a canopy.
  • Expansion loop. A built-in loop in the line allows the cable to adjust as the tree grows over the years.
  • Bark protection. The rope wraps the stems without drilling hardware through the wood.

    The Results

  • The split fork is now supported, and both stems move together in the wind.
  • The risk of the trunk opening further and failing during the next storm is greatly reduced.
  • The homeowners kept a mature, healthy pecan they’d been prepared to lose.
  • The cable is placed high in the canopy and is hard to spot from the ground.

    As with any support system, we recommend inspecting the system once a year and after any major storm to make sure the cable and the tree are holding up as expected.

    Since the Job: The pecan has come through the storms since the install with the cable doing its job, and the split hasn’t opened any further. We’ll check the system at its annual inspection and adjust it as the tree grows. For now, the family still has the shade, the pecans, and a tree they thought they were going to lose.

Have a split, cracked, or storm-damaged tree you’d rather save than remove? Call Kevin Lee at (318) 470-5867 for a free, no-pressure assessment. We’ll tell you honestly whether cabling can help or whether removal is the safer choice.

A Tree Cabling System Built with Backups

Service: Tree Cabling
Tree: Mature multi-stem oak
Location: Residential property, Northwest Louisiana
Season: Summer

The Challenge

Multi-stem trees, where several large trunks rise from a shared base, are beautiful but carry a built-in risk. Each stem moves in its own direction in high winds, and the unions where they meet can weaken over time. When one of those unions gives way, a massive section of the tree can come down at once.

This oak had large, spreading stems and a history of stress under storms. The homeowners didn’t want to lose the oak. They wanted to know whether it could be made safer while it was still healthy. They were looking for a support system that would hold the main stems together and keep working even in a worst-case storm.

Our Assessment

Kevin Lee assessed the tree and came up to the conclusion that, given its numerous trunks and sprawling branches, the tree needed more than one cable. He thought about what would happen if part of the tree failed anyway. Smaller limbs and tops can break in a severe storm, and if the only cable is anchored to one of them, the support goes with it.

So he designed a system with redundancy built in.

The Solution

We installed three cables, each with a specific job:

  • The main tension cable (top). Installed high in the canopy, this is the primary cable that holds the halves of the tree together.
  • Two backup cables (lower). These are anchored into larger, stronger wood lower on the stems. If a severe storm breaks out the smaller tops the main cable is attached to, the backups are still in place holding the tree together.

The cables we used were built from Dyneema high-strength synthetic rope, with a break strength of about 32,000 lbs (roughly 16 tons). The installation included:

  • Chafe guards wrapped around each stem where the rope makes contact, protecting the bark from rubbing and wear.
  • Expansion loops that allow the cable to adjust as the tree grows over the years, so it doesn’t girdle or cut into the stems.

    The Results
  • The main stems are tied together, with a primary cable and two independent backups.
  • The system is designed to keep supporting the tree even if part of the upper canopy fails in a storm.
  • The bark is protected at every contact point, and the cables can grow with the tree.
  • The owner gets to keep a large, mature oak that can stay in place safely for years to come.

As with every cabling job, we recommend periodic check-ups to inspect the rope, the guards, and how the tree is growing around the system.

Since the Job: The oak has been through several rounds of strong wind since the install, and the main cable has carried the load on its own, so the backup cables haven’t been called on. That’s exactly how a redundant system should work: the backups stay in place in case a bad storm ever breaks out the upper tops. The family still parks under the oak every day. We’ll check the rope, the chafe guards, and the expansion loops at each annual inspection as the tree keeps growing.

Have a split, cracked, or storm-damaged tree you’d rather save than remove? Call Kevin Lee at (318) 470-5867 for a free, no-pressure assessment. We’ll tell you honestly whether cabling can help or whether removal is the safer choice.