Q: I planted a tree three years ago, and in the storms yesterday, my tree snapped off right where the straps are still holding the tree up. I checked the break, and the strapping used looks like it had cut into the trunk. Why did this happen?
A: A two part answer.
First, always make sure that a soft strapping material is used when staking trees – if wire is used, run it through substantial padding where it goes around the trunk or secure such wire to a loop of softer material. Stake strapping is meant to stop the tree from being knocked over entirely by wind, not to keep it utterly immobile; make sure the tree is not so tightly cinched that the strap material is forcibly ground into the trunk’s bark. Tight strapping, but not the tension of a barbed wire fence.
But the second part is every bit as important.
Trees should not be staked for multiple years in a row! Artificial support for extended periods of time encourages weak, spindly trunk growth as the trunk is never exposed to normal wind stresses. Staking for us in North Texas is a necessary evil. Physics isn’t kind – the distributed force of wind can topple a tall tree until it has a chance to develop some roots. You should, however, remove all staking and strapping from a tree after the first year in most cases.
When removing staking equipment, remove all straps or wires circling the trunk. If wires or ties are simply snipped off leaving a loop, the bark will be forced to grow around that loop, weakening the tree’s trunk. Straps left on the tree intentionally for that length of time can do the same, unless the straps are adjusted periodically.
Avoid these pitfalls now, and in the future you will be grateful.