Guying question

[TheTreeSpyder]

i think that guying anything 'real' like this that the guy wires would put immense leveraged force on anchor trees at that position.

i would think that the force would be so much that the anchor trees themselves should be guyed to the ground or other anchor.

 

[Tom Dunlap]

Mike, my Eastern Brother, don't take it personally

I would consider adding a guy out the other side of your laterals to the ground. Of course, we're talking theory here anyway. All of this depends on the relative size of all of the components.

The charts that are accepted for using steel cabling and bracing were developed in the thirties and have stood the test of time...as cabling recommendations. Once guying of mature trees is considered, an arbo should do more research to consider the different loads that are developed. This would be the place for an engineer to calculate loads and recommend systems.

Tom

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Spyder, if we assume the uphill trees are around 18" at the point the guys are installed, use the 1/4" cables Dan suggested, and we installed them 10 or 15 feet up, there is no way the cable could do anything to that tree. That would be like trying to pick you up off the ground by one of the hairs on your head. The hair would just break or pull out, the same way a cable would from the tree. If the cables looked like they could break the tree, simply install them lower.
I once pulled 1/4" and 3/8" EHS steel cables to breaking, from a green ash, 6" DBH, conected with J-lags, about 2' off the ground. It had no affect to the tree other than a little movement.

Tom, I didn't take it personally at all, just looking for more input.
I do think that having an engineer called in for tree support systems is a bit extreme for most cases. I think if you stay close to the standards, use common sense, let the customer know the limits of the system you are installing in writing, that it should be good enough.
As far as the standards are concerned, well, lets just say they are thirty years old. There are better cabling methods available which don't get used because the standards are what protects us from liability.