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Saturday - April 03, 2010

From: Denton, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Trees
Title: Texas ash tree splitting in Denton TX
Answered by: Barbara Medford

QUESTION:

I have a Texas ash tree that's splitting in its center and need some info re cable tie or other techniques to fuse the crotch together. I have temporarily placed two bands of plastic cable ties just below the crotch but I think it also needs repairs above the crotch area to stabilize and fix it permanently.

ANSWER:

Since we have no personal experience in such an operation, we found several websites with explanations and instructions on materials and procedures to be used. The best advice we found in all of them was from The Gardener's Forum Splitting Tree:

"Whether a tree needs only one cable for support, or several cables and bracing rods for repair, the procedure requires expert judgment in choosing the right materials and locating them properly in the tree. The job may also be dangerous, and is best done by a crew of two or three people. It is recommended that a professional tree service be called in to cable valuable trees or to repair a split trunk or crotch."

That would be our first thought-find an expert in this job, unless your tree is very small or not particularly valuable to you. In Texas, trees are pretty important assets, not to be messed with by people who are not trained. The other sites we turned up were:

eHow How to Repair a Split Tree

The Homeowner's Tree Book Repairing Tree Wounds

Texas A&M AgriLife Extension Repairing Storm Damage

Because we don't know the size or maturity of your Fraxinus texensis (Texas ash), we can't possibly advise on which of these procedures would work best, except for the one about hiring an expert arborist, one trained and licensed to do this kind of work.

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