152 TREES AS GOOD CITIZENS 



Gas leaks are a frequent source of underground damage. 

 Prevention of trouble from this source and treatment 

 for the overcoming of injuries are detailed in Chapter xvn. 



Much of the damage to shade trees is purely man- 

 made, ranging from the wounds caused by careless use of 

 the pruning-hook to those incidental to building construc 

 tion. In the erection of a new building a tree is liable to 

 various forms of mistreatment all of them injurious and 

 preventable, as using a tree as part of a scaffold or allow 

 ing guy wires or ropes to be fastened to its trunk, piling 

 of stone, bricks or other building material against it or 

 striking with the hubs, double-trees or fenders of delivery 

 vehicles. If, under the stress of extreme and unusual con 

 ditions, it should be necessary to permit the use of a tree 

 as a substitute for the support of a guy wire, ample protec 

 tion should be provided in the form of substantial strips 

 of wood, placed vertically and in such way as to keep the 

 cutting force from reaching the bark. To use a padding 

 of burlap or other textile fabric, as is sometimes done, 

 fails to furnish adequate protection, as the strain pene 

 trates this soft material and often causes serious damage. 

 If the piling of stone, bricks, sand, lumber or other build 

 ing material is a necessity due to limited space or other 

 unavoidable causes, the tree must be protected by strong 

 wooden guards to prevent cutting or bruising the trunk. 



All of these injuries can be avoided. When the damage 

 has been done the important step is at once to repair the 

 injury and apply the means of healing. Prompt action 

 simplifies the healing process and improves the tree's 

 chance for complete recovery. When bark is torn or 

 broken, all ragged or loose bark should be trimmed with a 

 sharp knife or a gouge, and the wound should be given 

 protective treatment at once by painting the exposed wood 



