CHAPTER XI 

 BRACING 



THE bracing of trees is one of the most im- 

 portant phases of tree repairing. Most 

 trees which reach maturity die through being up- 

 rooted or broken down. If a tree breaks off 

 bodily the trunk is usually rotten, and rotten 

 trunks are most often caused by decay entering 

 through wounds caused by the breaking-off of 

 branches. Thus bracing may prevent decay. 

 Even if decay has set in, bracing may put off for 

 many years the inevitable result of the destruction 

 of the tree's framework. The vitality of trees is 

 wonderful. Hollow old apple trees and chest- 

 nuts which look as if the next strong breeze would 

 blow them over, will flourish for years. Hollow- 

 ness does not necessarily mean physiological weak- 

 ness. Even if the heartwood, which is dead and 

 mere support, is eaten away, the living, sap-con- 

 ducting wood may be intact. If, then, we use a 

 few rods of iron and lengths of wire rope to per- 

 form the function normally performed by the 

 heartwood, the tree's "expectation of life" may be 

 as good as if it contained no decay. 



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