Do Nails Hurt Trees
Many homeowners use nails, screws, or staples to hang lights or decorations. Some even use metal fasteners when building treehouses in their trees. But most never stop to think about the potential damage this may cause.
The truth is, yes, nails, screws, and staples can hurt your tree and cause serious health issues in the long run. Read on to find out what health issues are caused by using these kinds of metal fasteners and what you can do to reduce the effect these items have on trees.
The Harm Nails, Screws, and Staples Can Cause to Trees
Driving nails, screws, or staples into your tree can cause a host of problems that may affect the long-term health, and ultimately the safety, of a tree. A few of the specific problems these kinds of metal fasteners can cause include the following:
Permanent Wounds
Trees do not “heal” like animals do; instead, they produce new wood and attempt to seal off the area — something arborists call compartmentalization. So, tree wounds are effectively permanent and present a potential long-term structural weakness.
Providing Entry Points for Disease & Decay
The outer bark of the tree exists, in part, to protect the tree from disease and decay. When you pierce this protective layer, you create a wound that can may allow diseases, fungi, or bacteria to infect the tree.
Cambial Damage
Driving a nail, screw, or staple into your tree often pierces its cambium layer. The cambium is a very thin layer of live, growing tissue that produces new cells that become either xylem, phloem or more cambium. Injuring this part of the tree can disrupt water and nutrient flow between the roots and canopy.
Tree Will Grow Around The Object:
Using nails, screws, and staples on trees can be dangerous for humans as well. As the tree continues to grow it will grow around the nail, screw, or staple and you will not be able to remove it. This makes it dangerous to prune or remove the tree using a chainsaw at a later date.
Other Ways To Attach Items To Trees:
Strap at least an inch and a half thick (anything thinner can hurt the tree). A thick strap will keep it from digging into the tree and causing physical damage. Just remember to keep an eye on the strap and loosen it as your tree grows over the years.
How To Reduce Negative Health Effects:
Although our Arborists suggest you don’t use nails, screws, or staples on your tree we understand that many people already have and will continue to do so. In these cases, we suggest you follow the steps below in order to reduce the negative health effects your tree will suffer from using these items.
Before you use nails, screws, or staples:
- Choose stainless steel nails, screws, or staples. Rust is bad for trees and can lead to a lot of problems down the road. To eliminate the chance of rust use stainless steel items.
- Avoid young trees (under 10inches dbh), thin-barked trees, and already weakened trees. These types of trees will have a harder time recovering from the damage caused by nails, screws, or staples.
- Make as few holes as possible. The more holes the more stress you put on the tree and the higher the risk of insect and disease issues. Depending on the tree’s size, health, and species, as little as 10 holes could cause enough structural and health issues to kill the tree.
After you use nails, screws, or staples:
After you damage your tree with nails, screws, or staples you will need to help it recover and heal.
Mulching: Mulching insulates the tree’s roots and helps them retain moisture both of which will help your tree recover from physical injuries. Learn more about Mulching.
Bio-Stimulants: Bio-stimulants are a great way to give your tree all the nutrients it needs to recover. This organic fertilizer will help keep your tree healthy and improve its “immune system”. Learn more about Bio-Stimulants.
Watering: Keeping your tree hydrated can help reduce the effects of physical injury and help the tree recover. Take care to NOT water where the holes are as this will increase the chance of rot and decay. Learn more about Watering.
