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Tree Cabling

       Tree Cabling is common in Des Moines, Iowa and often completed with inferior materials, education and ability. Olson Tree Care offers the latest cabling technology with wedge grips and 14,000lb aircraft cable. This system provides for the best support when cabling is required. 

Some common reasons to cable your tree. 

- Replacement of low tensile strength system

- Cracks 

- Decay 

- Included bark at branch forks with no reasonable response growth.    


       Take for instance a river birch (Betula nigra) that had a low tensile strength system previously installed. Once a system of any kind has been in a tree you can no longer remove it unless a supplementary system is in place (even if the system wasn’t needed in the first place). In this case the eye bolt that was once a circle bent into a C shape leaving the tree owner in a high risk situation. 


Tree Evaluation 

- High Tensile Strength Tree Cabling System.

       In this case we used 3/8 in. 7 strand aircraft cable in combination with a wedge grip dead end. 


      Tree Cabling, when done in the appropriate situations by Olson Tree Care can be a great benefit to the tree and tree owner.

Bending metal that has a low tensile strength

Tree Cable Amateur

Low tensile strength system

Aircraft cable 14,000 lb tensile strength

Tree Cabling Arborist

High tensile strength system

       Olson Tree Care in Des Moines, Iowa is not the biggest proponent of Tree Cabling for no reason. In our experience, cabling trees is often used as a medicinal treatment to soothe the tree owners fears by many Tree Services. Concerns of the tree owner should should be counseled by an ISA Certified Arborist Consultation. (Tree Risk Assessment)


       Lean is common with trees and their response growth has no limits. Tree Cabling has limits. If a tree owner expresses fear, the correct answer should be advanced Evaluation along with monitoring of the lean. Should the lean change in angle (failure), or results from Tree Risk Assessment increase the risk of failure (tree crack/decay), then cabling may be the correct mitigation option. To Address some of these concerns Olson Tree Care in West Des Moines, Iowa developed the Transitional Support System.


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