Arborists will drill four steel rods into a split oak tree in the Enchanted Forest today. The live oak tree was cracked down the middle of the trunk, following damage from Hurricane Gustav in 2008.
The project is anticipated to be completed Wednesday evening.
Fred Fellner, assistant director of University landscape services, said this is the second time a tree has split in two months. The first tree, located on Nicholson Drive, was split because of damage caused by a lightning strike during a storm in January.
According to Fellner, the arborists began the project on the Enchanted Forest tree on Jan. 24, and removed the first limb of the tree. The landscape department planned to start sooner, but they had to postpone the project for two weeks because of the weather.
If the tree is not repaired, the split would widen and move down to the roots, killing the tree, Fellner said.
The arborists plan to use four steel rods and cables to support the tree and to keep it from falling apart. The cables will be attached to anchors will be drilled through the remaining branches to support the heavy horizontal branches. The steel rods will then be drilled through the split crotch of the tree to hold it together.
The cabling and bracing of the oak tree will prevent the tree from splitting in the same area again. However, Fellner said it is possible for the tree to split in another area.