Strapping Two Trees Together

dotywkd · 28th July 2008, 04:22 PM

I have two mature aspens close to my deck. One has started to come into contact with the deck, and I'm thinking about using a ratchet strap to pull the two trees together to give the one hitting the deck some breathing room. Is this a good idea, and if so are there straps specifically made for trees? Anything else I need to consider so as not to damage the trees?

Thanks much.

JohN Dee · 28th July 2008, 05:03 PM

To be bluntly honest, no that's not a good idea.

In a very brief/vague run down - Trees are forever growing, the day they stop is the day they are dying. You said that they are mature, so their rate of growth is pretty slow, but they are still growing - into your deck.

The strap would only be a momentarily fix for your own aesthetics.

Think of the trees trunk like your throat. The trunk has its food and water (just like your throat) running up and down it. Now think of someone wrapping a waist belt around your throat, tying you into someone elses throat, they will kick, push and shove you to get away and on top of that you cant breath, eat or drink, so inherently you will die - same goes for the tree(s) with your straps that you have proposed. (It's called girdling)

You have two options here, you can either modify your deck (forever on going[including costs $$$] because the tree is always growing) so the tree has room to live properly and no damage is done to your deck/house OR have it cut down and removed.

Plant another tree not so close to your house.

TreeSpecialist · 29th July 2008, 07:36 AM

To add what John said - you started off by calling it a "mature aspen."

The deck and the house are likely to "out live" the tree.

Aspens are not known for their longevity nor are they known for excellent compartmentalization.

Cabling the tree back to an adjacent tree while possible, may start decay in both trees resulting in major limb or trunk failure.

Aspens typically occur where winds may be high. A cabled aspen is likely to snap in a wind storm - just above the cabled point.

Removal is the option you should likely look at objectively.

28th July 2008, 04:22 PM	#1 (permalink)
dotywkd I'm new here so be nice Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Colorado Posts: 1	Strapping Two Trees Together I have two mature aspens close to my deck. One has started to come into contact with the deck, and I'm thinking about using a ratchet strap to pull the two trees together to give the one hitting the deck some breathing room. Is this a good idea, and if so are there straps specifically made for trees? Anything else I need to consider so as not to damage the trees? Thanks much.

28th July 2008, 05:03 PM	#2 (permalink)
JohN Dee Moderator - Sponsor Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Sydney, Australia Posts: 868	Re: Strapping Two Trees Together To be bluntly honest, no that's not a good idea. In a very brief/vague run down - Trees are forever growing, the day they stop is the day they are dying. You said that they are mature, so their rate of growth is pretty slow, but they are still growing - into your deck. The strap would only be a momentarily fix for your own aesthetics. Think of the trees trunk like your throat. The trunk has its food and water (just like your throat) running up and down it. Now think of someone wrapping a waist belt around your throat, tying you into someone elses throat, they will kick, push and shove you to get away and on top of that you cant breath, eat or drink, so inherently you will die - same goes for the tree(s) with your straps that you have proposed. (It's called girdling) You have two options here, you can either modify your deck (forever on going[including costs $$$] because the tree is always growing) so the tree has room to live properly and no damage is done to your deck/house OR have it cut down and removed. Plant another tree not so close to your house. __________________ Don't tell me the sky is the limit, when there are footprints on the moon. Free Tree and Green Industry Link Directory Red : Green : Blue

29th July 2008, 07:36 AM	#3 (permalink)
TreeSpecialist Semi-mature vigorous tree Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Austin, Texas Posts: 201	Re: Strapping Two Trees Together To add what John said - you started off by calling it a "mature aspen." The deck and the house are likely to "out live" the tree. Aspens are not known for their longevity nor are they known for excellent compartmentalization. Cabling the tree back to an adjacent tree while possible, may start decay in both trees resulting in major limb or trunk failure. Aspens typically occur where winds may be high. A cabled aspen is likely to snap in a wind storm - just above the cabled point. Removal is the option you should likely look at objectively.

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