Why give your tree’s trunk some love? Well, it helps supply nutrients and water from the ground to various parts of the tree. However, even seemingly minor trunk damage can adversely impact your tree’s health, so giving it some attention also means you can tackle an issue as quickly as possible.
In this post, a reliable tree service in Austin, TX, shares how to repair a damaged tree trunk to ensure your beautiful tree will keep growing healthily to reach its full potential.
What Causes Trunk Damage?
Here are four major reasons you might find a damaged tree trunk:
Animals. Gnawing and chewing from gophers, rabbits, and even deer can lead to severe tree bark damage.
Storms. High winds and other extreme weather conditions will often leave cracked or damaged bark and split trunks, especially where there has been a lightning strike.
Diseases. Various diseases can adversely affect a tree by causing cracks, rot, and lesions in the trunk tissue.
Insect infestations. Termites, carpenter ants, and other wood-boring insects damage your trunk over time. However, they’ll often only move in if the tree has a disease, so regular inspection could easily prevent infestation.
Two Proven Ways to Repair a Damaged Tree Trunk
What causes trunk damage most commonly in Texas? The reasons above apply to most areas here. But if you know how to repair a damaged tree trunk, you can focus on getting your tree healthy again!
Pruning
Is there minor damage that only affects the bark? Pruning could be the solution. Remove the damaged or diseased branches with sharp shears, carefully avoiding cutting into healthy parts so that you don’t cause further damage.
Certified arborists will also remove limbs that rub against one another, which can lead to bark damage and other tree injuries.
Cabling and Bracing
Are you dealing with quite severe trunk damage? Cabling and bracing might be necessary.
The technique involves adding support to the tree with brackets and cables, particularly if your tree has a weak trunk or forks in the trunk. You can also use this method for trees prone to heavy winds.
A qualified arborist will need to inspect your tree and figure out which technique will help fix the damage. If the tree needs cabling and bracing, the arborist will set it up to support your tree’s weight and safeguard it from any other damage. You should leave the wrap on for one year for the best results, but inspect it regularly and re-wrap it if necessary.
Don’t Wait to Treat a Damaged Tree Trunk!
While trees are resilient, it’s extremely important to treat a damaged trunk or tree wound fast. Quick action will prevent infection, infestation, and collapse, allowing your tree time and space to recover.
If you need more information on how to repair a damaged tree trunk in Austin, TX, Monster Tree Service is the go-to local arborist that can help.