The Bounds Oak at the Polo Grounds

treeworks • Apr 05, 2023

Polo Grounds

Project Details

Our experts were contacted by the landscape architect and arborist assigned to the property with the goal of assessing and repairing a magnificent Southern Live Oak. The tree had clearly begun to separate; a steel bar (above the main union, between the two 4 ½ foot diameter leaders) installed decades ago had pulled apart in the center and the swing hanging from one of the boughs had dropped within 18 inches of the ground. The tree, eight feet in diameter with a 153 foot branch spread, began to separate along the weak union between the two main portions of the trunk.

After securing the tree into position, our corrective procedure required the installation of two high strength rods—10 feet in length and 1 1/8 inches in diameter—through the lower trunk. Using a ten foot long drill bit, the rods were inserted and over 500 feet of extra-high strength cable was installed in the crown of the tree in order to ensure stability over time. A quad-grounded lightning protection system was installed and attached to the four, eight foot deep solid copper ground rods. The system was then tested to safely withstand a full strike.