The older neighborhoods of Ithaca and Cayuga Heights, and the village streets of Trumansburg and Groton, have shade trees that were planted generations ago. Many of them grew two or three trunks from one point, and those tight forks are where big trees tend to split. Cabling and bracing can add support to a tree like that and buy it many more years.
It is not a fix for every tree. Jason Tubbs will tell you plainly during the $50 consultation whether support hardware makes sense, or whether the tree is too far gone and removal is the safer choice. If cabling is in your plan, it is listed with any pruning that should go with it, so you can see the whole picture before deciding.
What the hardware actually does
A cable is a steel line installed high in the crown between two stems. It doesn’t hold them rigid. It limits how far they can spread apart in wind or under snow and ice, which takes stress off the weak fork below. A brace is a threaded rod set through the trunk or fork itself, used where a crack has already started or where two stems press against each other.
Most trees that get cabled also need some weight taken off. Thinning the ends of heavy limbs reduces the load the cable has to carry. Jason plans the pruning and the hardware together.
When removal beats support
- Ash infested by emerald ash borer, which has been in the county since at least 2018 and leaves wood too brittle to hold hardware
- Beech showing signs of beech leaf disease, newly detected here in 2021
- Hollow or decayed trunks where there is not enough sound wood to anchor a rod
- Trees with a heavy lean toward a house and root damage on the opposite side
- Root plates already lifting, since a cable in the crown does nothing for the roots
Checking on a cabled tree over the years
Cabling is a commitment, not a one-time fix. The tree keeps growing around the hardware, and cables can loosen or rub. We recommend having the system looked at periodically, and always after a major wind event. In the Enfield microburst of July 24, 2023, winds near 100 mph uprooted trees outright, a reminder that support hardware helps with splitting but cannot hold a tree in the ground.
Cable & Bracing Questions From Tompkins County
My maple in Trumansburg has two trunks with a crack between them. Can cabling save it?
Sometimes. If the crack is short and the wood around it is solid, a brace rod through the fork plus a cable higher up can hold the stems together and slow the split. If the crack runs deep or shows rot, removal is usually safer. Jason needs to see it in person to tell which one you have.
How long will a cable system last in a big tree?
A well-installed system can serve for many years, but its life depends on how fast the tree grows and how hard the wind hits it. Hardware should be checked periodically and after big storms, and it may need adjusting or replacing as the crown expands. Jason will explain what to watch for when it goes in.
Will cabling stop my tree from falling over in a bad storm?
No. Cabling reduces the chance that a weak fork splits apart. It does not anchor roots, so a tree with a poor root system can still blow over. If Jason sees lifting soil, root rot or a worsening lean, he will tell you removal is the safer plan rather than sell you hardware that won’t help.
Want the full picture? Read our cable & bracing guide, or see everything we do in Tompkins County.