Ornamental and Shade Trees 



A Drf'artiiu-iit fur the .idiiic and J iistnictioii of Mriiihc'is of the .liiicriiaii forestry Association 



REINFORCING TREES 



Bv Hak(ili) J. Neale, City Forester, li'orcestcr. Mass. 



IT IS an accepted fact that shade trees on pnhhc streets Hmbs. chainintj them and similar measures have been 

 increase property vakies. This of course is in pro- practiced for a number of years. In New luigland we 

 portion to the size and condition of the trees — as a see many large elm trees girdled by heavy iron bands 

 small tree would not increase vahies very greatly while which were improperly placed. In other cases heavy 

 an old, weakened tree would be about in the same class, chains have been placed around limbs, not girdling them, 

 as far as value is concerned. The question arises then but causing the bark to die on tlie side in contact with 

 is it not i)0ssible to make these old trees safe and elim- the chain. In some cases the bark and the caml.)ium 

 inate their weaknesses? They are the heritage of gen- cover the chains, embedding them into the heart wood 

 erations past and are a necessary adjunct to old settle- of the limbs and they cannot be discerned, 

 ments ; as in New Eng- ^ The process of bolt- 



land where we have old 

 colonial mansions with 

 beautiful spreading elm 

 trees as their proper 

 setting. 



(Jn p r i \- a t e lands 

 these trees, set out 

 many years ago, have 

 had a free and easy ex- 

 istence and are in many 

 cases sound and free 

 from any weakness. 

 The street tree of the 

 same generation, how- 

 ever, has had a dififereni 

 battle to fight. Hitching 

 horses to a ring Ijolt 

 fastened into the trunk 

 of these street trees or 

 by throwing the reins 

 around the trunk was 

 not uncommon and 

 was, of course, an in- 

 vitation to the animal 

 to gnaw and thus injure 

 the bark on the trunk. 

 This was inmiediately 

 followed by the en- 

 trance of fungus diseases, causing decay and the gradual 

 permeation of the mvcclimu or riKjt hairs of the fungus 

 which today leaves an ugly scar extending in many cases 

 through the heart of the tree. This i)resents a proposi- 

 tion to the citv forester or tree man. It is the proper 

 procedure for making the thoroughfare safe for pe- 

 destrians. 



With the aim of saving the old trees, making them 

 safe, sound and healthy the arboriculturist of today is 

 striving quite as much as he is in the ]:)lanting of new 

 trees for future generations to enjoy. 



42 



ing, although not diffi- 

 cult, ret|uires a certain 

 amount of study and 

 care. Mechanical 

 forces must be taken 

 into consideration. The 

 stronger of the limbs 

 to be bolted must be 

 used for the support 

 and the bolt placed at 

 right angles to the side 

 of the weaker limb, 

 otherwise the weaker 

 does not receive the 

 ma.ximum pulling 

 forces of the bolt, to 

 hold it in place. In the 

 case of a split tree the 

 forces must be divided 

 so that each limb is ex- 

 erting an equal lever- 

 age on the other. The 

 bolt must be placed as 

 high as possible in 

 order that it will be 

 able to exert a maxi- 

 mum amount of ten- 

 sion with a minimum 

 amount of energy. A bolt, however, should not be placed 

 high enough to allow any swa}-ing of the limbs, which 

 would have a twisting effect on the bolt which would in 

 time weaken and break owing to its inelasticitv. In case 

 this is necessary the bolt should be placed low and a chain 

 or cable placed higher. The size of the bolt is also an 

 important factor, and the growth of the limbs with their 

 ii;creasing weight nnist be considered. The placing of 

 a bolt in a tree will not in all cases induce stronger 

 giowth, but it is necessarily a permanent factor in hold- 

 liolting insecure ing the tree together, while in others a bolt may be placed 



A METHOD OF TREATMENT 



An elm wliich, despite its injuries, is still of value and wnrtli preserving. If an 

 attempt had been made to remove the decayed portions without reinforcing the 

 trunic, the tree wouiti prohably have blown down, so an iron cable was fastened 

 as shown in the right hand picture and tightened sufP.ciently to allow for the 

 swaying of the trunk. Tlie decayed portion was then removed and the cavity 

 treated. 



