Wrap or lag end trees

[Maplewalnut]

Getting ready to re-do my mains and install a wet/dry set up. Whats the current thinking.... anchor bolts or wire wrap with tubing on end trees?

[Mike's Sugar Shack]

I do the wire wrap around end tree with tubing and also put piecies of wood in between the tubing and the tree.

[sjdoyon]

We originally went with anchor bolts for our first 30+ wet/dry/mainlines but have switched over to wire and protected tubing with ratchets. We find using the ratchets easier to get your wire tight and adjusting height. I believe I heard if going Organic, you're not allowed to use anchor bolts.

[GeneralStark]

If possible, I try to find non-maple, poor quality end trees and then use those to anchor to. I have been using strips of wood placed between the wire and the tree and a gripple to make the loop. I have seen people use staples in the strip of wood to feed the wire through to make the setup quicker.

The disadvantage with the strips of wood is they can impact the bark of the tree and slowly kill the tree. Some say to shift the pieces of wood periodically to prevent this. In my neighbor's woods they used 3/4" mainline pipe around the wire to protect the tree but in many places the tree is damaged from this.

[unc23win]

I wrap mine around non maple trees. I use the insulator tubing for the 12.5 gauge wire inside 3/4" or 1" water pipe. I also use the ratchet and sping at the lower end and just a ratchet at the upper end. In the off season I let some tension off the line.

[Scribner's Mountain Maple]

we used to wrap the trees and that would always hurt the tree if the line stayed in the same spot on the trunk. I've started using lags in non maples like beach and a loop of wire holding a ratchet. I find it works well for me.

Is this true for an organic certification you can't use lags in trees? It probably hurts the tree more to have a loop as opposed to a lag. Could be wrong, but the loop is always hurting the tree from what I have seen. Even in a years time it leaves a perm mark on the trunk. With a lag, you make one injury that heals around the lag and doesn't impact any other part of the trunk.

I've noticed using lags that white birches don't hold well. Beach, Ash, yellow birch and cherry all work good for me.

[lew]

Scribner's

I am certified with NOFA-NY LLC, and we use lags in tree. Nothing has ever been mentioned of it and we are inspected yearly. I too used to wrap around trees and use pipe and wood to protect the tree. I also found that this did more damage than good. A lag in the tree does little more damage than a taphole, imho. If one were to loosen the mainline wires enough to make a difference, I think it would be too much of a hassle to me to bother with. If some of you do this, then my hat is off to you. You have more ambition than I do. I find the repair of lines prior to season too much of a headache with out adding more self imposed work.