534 



AMERICAN FORESTRY 



compare the conditions with the surgery of today, I have 

 patience with and admiration for the advances in tree 

 surgery within the past decade. 



The soHd concrete filling has proved to be too re- 

 sistant to wind pressure, and it has been replaced by sec- 

 tional filling, which yields enough to prevent strain on 

 the remaining tree structure. The sides of the long cavi- 

 ties are now held together by ingeniously simple threaded 

 bolts. The former coverings of zinc or tin have been 

 discarded. More care is taken to make cavities aseptic. 



There are other refinements and some foolishnesses ai 

 least some of the refinements look expensively foolish 

 to me. 



It is, after all, a question of good judgment, of tree 

 values. That real tree-surgery is both successful and 

 desirable, I am sure. That it is practiced by some who 

 are ignorant and some who are venal and by some who 

 are neither, but are injudicious is probably true. Thai 

 its common-sense application, by men who have actual 

 knowledge, will prolong the life of many fine old trees, 



Photographs by courtesy of the Davey Tree Expert Company 



TYPICAL EXAMPLE OF "TREE PATCHING" 

 ALONG IMPROPER LINES 



If men were subject to such monstrous incom- 

 petence as that which has been applied to so 

 many thousands of our fine old trees by untrained 

 and irresponsible pretenders, men would suffer 

 blood-poisoning, lock-jaw and death. But for- 

 tunately trees are sturdier than men and they 

 come to their death more slowly, liut none the 

 less surely. This case of tree patching, like most 

 of its kind, has violated all the principles of tree 

 surgery and ignored the laws of tree life. The 

 decay was only partly removed. The disease 

 continued with increased intensity. . No means 

 had been provided to exclude the moisture. No 

 mechanical bracing had been provided, in spite of 

 the fact that decay had left the tree very weak. 



MECHANICALLY BRACED TREE READY 

 FOR THE FINAL WORK 



Real tree surgery does three special things and 

 insures a fourth. First, it removes all decay 

 all, not nearly all and prevents further decay by 

 proper disinfection, water-proofing and skillful 

 preparation of the cavity. Second, it excludes 

 all foreign substance, especially water, by the use 

 of a novel and highly important device called the 

 watershed, and also by a skillful method of filling. 

 Third, it restores the physical strength of the 

 tree by the use of wonderful types and combina- 

 tions of mechanical bracing, most of which is 

 completely encased in the filling on the inside 

 of the tree. All three of these things are of* vital 

 importance and value. 



OPERATION PROPERLY COMPLETED ON A 

 VETERAN TREE 



The fourth thing which real tree surgery insures 

 is the restoration of the health of the tree and its 

 preservation. An injury usually permits the en- 

 trance of a fungus disease. Once disease starts 

 by attacking the interior cell structure, it pro- 

 ceeds with increasing sevei'ity. The tree responds 

 gloriously to proper treatment and starts almost 

 immediately to heal over the filling. In filling a 

 cavity in a tree, it is highly important to insure 

 it against cracking and breaking to pieces in the 

 swaying and bending of the tree, which is often 

 violent in the heavy winds. This is accomplished 

 by correct mechanical bracing, plus the all-import- 

 ant sectional filling method, which is cleariy il- 

 lustrated in this photograph. 



