University of Florida

Home > Pruning shade trees > Restoration pruning > Treating damaged and broken trees > Branch cracked at the base

Branch cracked at the base

trunk cracked

This trunk cracked to the ground below the point where the two codominant stems joined (look for the crack just above the brick pile). The bark inclusion shown in the photo is a common starting point for trunk cracks. In fact, by definition, bark inclusions ARE cracks inside the tree.

Treatment: The two stems can be cabled and braced together following guidelines in the ANSI A-300 national cabling and bracing standard. The canopy can be reduced in size and cabled to reduce the likelihood of the tree splitting in half.

See: more on cracks.