Tried cabling a big oak last week and got a surprise

I had this big red oak in a backyard here in Portland, about 30 inches across, with a split crotch that looked risky. I decided to use steel cable and hardware to brace it up, something I've done maybe a dozen times before. But after I finished and tightened everything, the tree actually started leaning more toward the house over the next two days. I checked my anchor points and realized I put the cable too low on the trunk, which pulled the whole thing off balance instead of holding it steady. The homeowner was pretty worried, and I had to go back and redo it with higher anchors and a second cable for support. Learned that even with the right tools, placement makes or breaks the job. Has anyone else screwed up a cabling job and had to fix it mid-project?

3 comments

3 Comments

craig.parker19d ago

Don't blame the cable placement, maybe that oak was just too far gone to save.

lucashenderson18d ago

Are we seriously acting like a 14-inch crack means the whole tree is a lost cause? Trees have been dealing with cracks way worse than that and still stood for decades.

kelly_rivera19d ago

The oak had a 14-inch crack running up the main trunk on the south side, @craig.parker, which is usually a sign of internal decay that no cable can fix. Were there any drill-bit tests done before the crew walked away, or was it a visual assessment only? I've seen healthy-looking oaks with solid bark that were completely hollow inside after a good probe, so a quick check could've saved everyone a lot of second-guessing.