Cabling and bracing are the two most common forms of structural support for trees.They involve installing flexible cables or rigid rods to reduce the chances of failure of defective unions.

• Cables are installed high in the tree, at least 2/3 the distance from the defect to the crown
• Rods are installed much lower, just above and/or below the defect
• Cables are always stronger than rods because of their greater leverage
• Cables can be used alone, but bracing is always supplemented with cables

There are three major uses of cabling and bracing:

Prevention: to reduce the chance of failure on a healthy tree with structural weakness

Restoration: to prolong the existence of a damaged tree

Mitigation: to reduce the hazard potential of a tree