What is Tree Cabling and When is It Necessary?

Published On: April 15th, 20222.7 min read

Trees with poor structural integrity can pose a safety hazard in places where people live or walk, so it’s imperative to do everything you can to prevent accidents from happening.

Cabling and trimming are two of the many tree preservation techniques that arborists perform. When used together, cabling and trimming can prevent tree limbs from failing.

But what exactly is tree cabling? You’re in the right place to find out. Keep reading as we give you all you need to know.

What Is Tree Cabling?

Well-trained arborists can identify trees that are in danger of falling on structures or passersby, and they can install cables to shore them up.

These cables provide support that prevents the tree from splitting apart. It’s a preventive measure that reduces the risk to people and property.

The cabling process is non-invasive, and the cables themselves are barely visible once installed.

When Is Tree Cabling Necessary?

Here are some common scenarios where you might consider having this service performed:

  • Your tree has a codominant stem, or weak junction often referred to as a “V-crotch” due to its narrow-angle of attachment
  • Your tree has long, heavy, or over-extended branches prone to breakage during high winds and snow
  • You have small children or pets who play under your trees
  • Your property includes walkways frequented by pedestrians who would be endangered if a branch fell

If you’re looking for arborist services in Connecticut because you’re aware of trees that tick a few of these boxes, get an estimate from us today.

Cabling and Trimming Work Together

Tree cabling and trimming can be used together, particularly in large trees that need additional support. A tree-support system involves setting a cable between two or more branches to prevent them from failing due to poor attachment, included bark or weather-related stress.

Cabling involves attaching a steel or fiber rope between two tree limbs, while trimming reduces the chance of limbs becoming too heavy and causing undue stress.

If your tree has heavy or unusually large limbs, consider having these methods done to provide added stability. Trimming and cabling work together to prevent dangerous consequences that come from falling limbs during severe weather conditions.

Both methods can help reduce the risk of property damage from falling limbs by both adding additional support to weak parts of the tree’s structure, and removing obstructing limbs.

Other Benefits of Cabling

Tree cabling is also a good option for trees with weak branch unions or crotches.

When the tree is young, it can be trained to develop a healthy branching structure; however, most homeowners inherit mature trees when they purchase a home.  If the trees have not been properly maintained there are likely some structural issues at play.

Cables are not recommended for supporting branches that show signs of decay.  Decaying limbs are not strong enough to support the tension of a cable. Therefore, this is a scenario where trimming is more effective.

Do You Need Tree Cabling?

If you’ve read this article and realize that there could be potentially dangerous trees or limbs affecting your home or business, we’re here to help.

Arbortech has over 25 years of experience and thousands of happy customers, so you can rely on us for tree services.

Find out more about our tree cabling or get an estimate.

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Kyle LeDonne
Kyle LeDonne
2023-07-07
Fast, friendly service, definitely recommended. Great follow through, work was completed on time and with minimal damage to the lawn. Lindsey and Justin were awesome!
Ann Caranci
Ann Caranci
2023-06-20
We had the A-team on our big job of 14+ trees (13 dead ash) in 3 different areas of our property, none of which were particularly easy to get to. With the added bonus of having drainage throughout the yard and avoiding the septic tank. I had 3 other companies come and look, one ghosted me!! 1 came and said no thank you, the third gave me a similar quote to Justin's, but you could tell he didn't want the job and wasn't as clear about how he'd go about it. Justin came in and was completely confident on how his team could get it done. And with a bucket truck - no cranes needed. (two of the above were talking cranes). Kyle, Kyle and Not Kyle (Cody) were great!! They worked hard and got it all done in 3 days!! They were nice, easy to talk to, piled the massive amount of trees in a great spot for the log truck. I thought taking down dead trees wouldn't open things up that much, but wow did it! I love how open and cleared out everything looks!! Lindsey and Kate were fabulous and accommodating talking about the cost of the job and log truck. And now I can add flowers and plants in the brighter area. FYI probably not going to plant trees... but some rhodies if I can keep the deer off them. (O: Thank you to ArborTech!! Cheers, until I can budget for the backyard.
Gabe Godfrey
Gabe Godfrey
2023-06-13
The tree estimate and removal process had a quick turnaround (one week) and was coordinated around my schedule. Very accommodating. The team that showed up for the job was very professional and asked questions along the way to better meet my needs. Very affordable and highly recommend to anyone needing work done with trees!
Dawn Bradshaw
Dawn Bradshaw
2023-06-01
I more than appreciate great workers...your crew is amazing! the physical ability, the mathematical knowledge even if innate, and the eye for art (cleaning up my white pines to beautiful trees) is a hard combo to find in someone. Your climber has all those skills and more. Your pricing was very reasonable! The care your crew took to ensure everything was clean and in better condition than when they came was more than apreciated by me. Even my neighbors said something! Thank you! I will call you again for future tree maintenance!
Ursula Wiebusch
Ursula Wiebusch
2023-05-22
We enjoy working with the Arbortech team, from start to finish. Professional and respectful. We just had 8, 100 ft + trees removed and could not be happier with the results. We recommend Arbortech.
SMO'T
SMO'T
2023-04-25
Arbortech is a great business to deal with. They did a big job quickly, professionally, and left our property in good condition. Lindsey, Justin, and their crews were all terrific. Highly recommend.
Laura Flavell
Laura Flavell
2023-04-15
I needed to have a large Norway maple tree removed and wanted to get at least three estimates. Eric's tree service came out and gave me a somewhat reasonable quote of $3500, then a week later before I had gotten another estimate from a different company Eric's tree service texted me and said they'd be in the area the following week, I called them and they said they had to revisit the estimate. They came back out continued to tell me her personal problems and that my neighbor would have to move his trailer. She then sent me a new quote of $7231!!! I called Arbortech and Justin came over on the day scheduled and was my most reasonable quote! He also said my neighbor wouldn't need to move his trailer. Justin and his crew arrived on time and did a phenomenal job!! They are true professionals! They cleaned up everything. They had had to remove a fence panel and when they put it back it was more secure than it had been when it had been originally installed. Justin's quote was $4700 less than Eric's! This experience with Arbortech was purely positive I highly recommend this company! Thank you Justin, Lindsey and the rest of the crew, you guys rock!!
ILost MyShoe
ILost MyShoe
2023-04-13
The service I received from everyone at Arbortech for a tree removal was absolutely wonderful. Any questions and concerns I had were answered and reassured. Justin and Lindsey were both so helpful and the value I paid for this service was outstanding. Super reasonable, and I would recommend Arbortech to anyone in need of any tree service. Super grateful and happy. If I could figure out how to add pictures to my review, I would. They did an incredible job with not just the tree removal itself, but also with a brush pile I also had taken care of. Again, highly recommend Arbortech for anyone who is in need of any type of tree service. Couldn’t be more pleased!