#Mature Tree Support Calgary

[evergreenltd]

How Tree Cabling and Bracing Can Save Your Mature Trees in Calgary

Mature trees are the guardians of our landscapes. They provide beauty, shade, cleaner air, and even increase property value. But just like us, trees grow old, and with age comes vulnerability. Harsh weather, structural weaknesses, and environmental stress can compromise the safety and health of even the most majestic trees. If you’re lucky enough to have mature trees in your yard in Calgary, you might already know how important it is to care for them properly. One often-overlooked method of preservation is tree cabling and bracing.

In this blog post, we’ll explore why Calgary Tree Cabling and Bracing Services are essential for protecting your mature trees, how the process works, and why you should trust professionals like Evergreen Ltd to help your trees thrive for years to come.

Why Mature Trees Are Worth Saving

Before diving into the how, let's talk about the why.

Environmental Benefits

Mature trees absorb carbon dioxide, filter pollutants, and release oxygen. They provide critical habitats for wildlife and play an important role in urban ecosystems. In Calgary’s ever-evolving cityscape, preserving established trees is a powerful step toward sustainability.

Economic and Aesthetic Value

A mature tree can increase a property’s value by thousands of dollars. Their presence reduces cooling costs in summer, prevents soil erosion, and adds visual appeal that younger trees can't match.

Emotional and Historical Importance

For many homeowners, mature trees carry sentimental value. Whether it’s the tree you planted when you bought your home or one that’s watched your kids grow up, saving it isn’t just about the environment—it’s personal.

Understanding Tree Cabling and Bracing

So, what exactly is tree cabling and bracing?

Cabling and bracing are structural support systems designed to stabilize weak or vulnerable trees, particularly those with:

Co-dominant stems

Cracks in limbs or trunks

Overextended or heavy branches

Storm damage

Trees with weak wood structure (like willows or poplars)

What Is Cabling?

Tree cabling involves installing flexible steel cables between major branches to reduce movement and prevent them from splitting apart. This technique helps redistribute mechanical stress and supports tree limbs during high winds or heavy snowfall—a common issue in Calgary.

What Is Bracing?

Bracing uses threaded steel rods installed through weak or split branches or trunks. Unlike cabling, which offers flexibility, bracing provides rigid support. It’s often used in tandem with cabling for added stability.

Signs Your Tree Needs Cabling or Bracing

Not every tree needs support, but here are some signs that yours might:

Noticeable cracks in limbs or trunk

Multiple large stems growing from a single point (co-dominant leaders)

Large, heavy limbs extending horizontally

Visible leaning or swaying during light winds

History of storm damage

Deadwood or decaying areas

If you’re seeing any of these issues, it’s time to consider Calgary Tree Cabling and Bracing Services.

Why Calgary’s Climate Poses Unique Challenges for Trees

Calgary’s environment is beautiful but demanding. The region is known for its:

Heavy snowfalls that accumulate on limbs, increasing the risk of breakage

Chinooks that create dramatic temperature swings

Windstorms that can tear apart weakened or unbalanced trees

Urban development which causes soil compaction and root disturbances

All these factors increase the stress on mature trees. That’s why preventative structural support is so vital here.

Benefits of Tree Cabling and Bracing

Now that we’ve identified the risks, let’s dive into the many benefits of these services.

1. Prolong Tree Life

Cabling and bracing can dramatically extend the life of a mature tree by preventing structural failures that could otherwise lead to decline or removal.

2. Protect Property and People

Failing limbs can cause serious damage to homes, cars, and even injure people. Proper support mitigates these risks, especially during Calgary’s intense weather conditions.

3. Preserve Aesthetic Integrity

Why chop off a beautiful branch if it can be saved? Bracing and cabling allow you to maintain the natural shape and beauty of your tree without major pruning or removal.

4. Cost-Effective Tree Care

Compared to removing and replacing a mature tree—which can cost thousands—installing a support system is an affordable alternative that protects your investment.

Why Hire Professionals Like Evergreen Ltd?

Tree cabling and bracing are not DIY projects. They require arboricultural knowledge, precision, and specialized equipment. That’s where Evergreen Ltd comes in.

Certified Arborists

Evergreen Ltd employs certified arborists who understand the biological and structural intricacies of trees. They can assess whether your tree needs support and determine the best way to apply it.

Customized Solutions

Not all trees—or problems—are the same. Evergreen Ltd offers tailored Calgary Tree Cabling and Bracing Services that meet the unique needs of each tree and property.

Safety First

Improper cabling can do more harm than good. Evergreen Ltd follows industry safety standards to ensure every tree is treated with care and every installation is safe and effective.

Ongoing Monitoring

Structural support systems aren’t a one-time fix. Trees continue to grow, and cables may need adjustments. Evergreen Ltd offers maintenance and monitoring services to ensure long-term results.

The Process: What to Expect

Here’s what a typical cabling and bracing project looks like with Evergreen Ltd:

Step 1: Initial Tree Assessment

A certified arborist inspects the tree for signs of weakness, damage, and potential hazards. They’ll evaluate the structure, health, and environmental conditions.

Step 2: Recommendation and Quotation

If cabling or bracing is needed, the arborist will explain the plan and provide a quote tailored to your tree’s needs.

Step 3: Installation

Professionals use non-invasive techniques and top-quality materials to install the cables and/or braces, all while minimizing damage to the tree.

Step 4: Follow-Up and Maintenance

Evergreen Ltd schedules follow-up visits to ensure the system is functioning properly and adjusts as the tree grows.

Real-Life Example: Saving a Heritage Elm in Calgary

One Calgary homeowner had a 75-year-old American Elm that began to split down the middle due to co-dominant stems. Instead of removing the tree, they contacted Evergreen Ltd. The team installed a dynamic cabling system between the main trunks and a brace rod through the base. Today, that elm stands tall, strong, and continues to provide shade and charm to the yard.

When Cabling and Bracing Isn’t Enough

In some cases, the damage or decay is too extensive. If a tree poses an imminent threat to safety or is beyond saving, removal might be necessary. However, with timely intervention using cabling and bracing, many trees that seem doomed can be preserved.

Combine Cabling with Other Tree Care Services

Cabling and bracing work best when paired with:

Regular pruning to reduce excess weight

Soil care to enhance root stability

Disease and pest management

Deep root fertilization

Evergreen Ltd offers comprehensive tree care solutions to help you maintain healthy and stable trees for the long haul.

Final Thoughts: Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

The loss of a mature tree isn’t just a landscaping concern—it’s a blow to your home, your environment, and your memories. With Calgary’s unpredictable climate, it’s never too early to take preventative action.

Cabling and bracing is one of the most effective ways to preserve your trees and protect your property. Whether your trees are showing signs of stress or you simply want peace of mind, trust the experts.

Trust Evergreen Ltd for Calgary Tree Cabling and Bracing Services

Evergreen Ltd is Calgary’s trusted name in arborist services. With years of experience, a certified team, and a passion for trees, they offer the highest-quality Calgary Tree Cabling and Bracing Services. Their goal? To help your trees live longer, safer, and healthier lives.

Contact Evergreen Ltd today to schedule a consultation and take the first step in safeguarding your urban forest. Because saving a tree today means enjoying it for decades to come.

[architectnews]

The Lookout by Hybrid raised on stilts over a Seattle alleyway 

US architecture firm Hybrid has designed and built a compact house along a back alley in Seattle, which is partially lifted off the ground to make way for parking.

Called The Lookout, the house is located on a dense street in Seattle's Central District. It occupies the back of a narrow, sloped lot and faces an alley.

 Hybrid redeveloped an entire plot

Hybrid, a local, multidisciplinary firm founded in 2004, was both the developer and designer for the project.

The front portion of the site features three connected townhouses all with matching dark cladding. Tucked between these townhomes is a small lawn with a mature cherry tree. The Lookout is placed on the end of the site

The Lookout is raised to create a sheltered parking space

When the company purchased the 4,200-square-foot (390-square-metre) property, it decided to tear down an existing, single-family home and replace it with multiple residences, including The Lookout.

Rather than completely fill the site with townhomes, the team opted to build an alleyway dwelling in the rear of the property.

A mix of concrete and steel pillars support the upper levels

The timber-framed building is lifted above the ground via concrete pillars and a steel column to allow for parking underneath.

"Raising the unit off the alley provides visual and physical access through the site, making it feel larger than it is," the team said.

A car can be parked in the slot below the house

Rectangular in plan, the elevated dwelling has exterior walls clad in white metal siding – a decision inspired by the site's conditions.

"The stark white siding provides an appealing contrast to the black homes on the site, as well as to the disjointed alley environment," the team said.

An open plan living area is on the top floor

Inside, the home features an atypical floor plan, with the private areas on the first level and the public zone up above. The dwelling encompasses 1,040 square feet (97 square metres).

On the first level, a bedroom and an office are separated by a tall wardrobe that rests on felt pads and is sized to fit IKEA PAX doors. If the homeowner prefers, the closet unit can be moved against a wall to create one large space.

The living area features bamboo flooring

Other aspects of the home were also designed with adaptability in mind.

"Flex spaces and moveable wardrobes allow for the home to meet changing needs, and create an enduring evolution of the interior design," the team said.

Kitchen surfaces are made of durable resin-infused paper

A staircase leads to the upper level, where the team created an open kitchen, dining area and living room. Large windows – some of which are operable – provide views over neighbouring rooftops.

"Big windows are a must because natural lighting brings us comfort, especially on gloomy days in Seattle," said the current homeowner, Isaiah Torain.

Hybrid maximised storage space in the compact home

The Lookout's finishes are simple and sturdy. The cooking area is fitted with flat-front cabinetry and counters topped with Richlite – a durable material made of resin-infused paper.

A living room features white walls, bamboo flooring and exposed ceiling beams. While the home was up for sale, the team filled the space with contemporary decor in neutral colours, including a grey sofa and a glass coffee table on wheels.

White walls and wardrobes reflect light

Overall, the home is meant to exhibit "a lightness and ease of movement not often associated with small spaces," the team said.

Hybrid also hopes the project demonstrates an imaginative approach to higher-density living.

"Some of the most interesting urban solutions can be found in the alley," the team said, noting that its home adds "funk and character in a typically overlooked context".

The bedroom is on a lower floor

Laneway housing is a typology found across Canada and in parts of the American Pacific Northwest. These residences are typically built in a backyard, alongside an alley.

Other examples include a two-storey dwelling in Calgary that features a lofted niche and a fireman's pole and a two-storey unit in Vancouver that has an angular shape and shingle cladding.

Photography is by Rafael Soldi.

Project credits:

Architect/developer: Hybrid Engineering: Malsam Tsang Construction: Hybrid Assembly

The post The Lookout by Hybrid raised on stilts over a Seattle alleyway  appeared first on Dezeen.

[architectnews]

Forest House I, Eastern Townships

Forest House I, Eastern Townships Property, Canadian Residential Architecture Photos

Forest House I in Eastern Townships

17 Nov 2020

Forest House I

Design: Natalie Dionne Architecture

Location: Bolton-Est, Eastern Townships, QC, Canada

Forest House I is the latest work by Montréal-based studio, Natalie Dionne Architecture. The firm has earned widespread praise over the years for its contextual approach, its creativity, and its attention to detail. Forest House I adds to a rich portfolio of original, residential homes, equal parts urban and rural.

The three-acre site, located in the Eastern Townships, is roughly 100 kilometers southeast of Montreal. Greatly valued by city dwellers for its natural beauty and relative proximity to urban life, the area has now become a choice spot for those willing and able to work from home. The clients, a professional couple, had long cherished the dream of building themselves a home in the heart of nature.

Discreetly inserted onto an outcrop of the Canadian shield, surrounded by mature hemlock and deciduous trees, the home is meant to pay tribute to the living forest. Wood dominates a restrained palette of materials, both inside and outside. The prematurely aged plank cladding, exposed framework, and various other interior finishes showcase all the richness of the natural material.

Strategic implantation A natural cleft in the existing topography, suboptimal orientation, and the presence of numerous rocky outcrops presented a major challenge for both clients and architects. During a careful and thorough ‘walking of the site,’ a particularly impractical rock formation near a precipice caught their eye and provided inspiration and insight as to how to place the home.

Standing on top of the 3m tall rock, all parties agreed that, in order to get the most out of available light and views, the living quarters, set parallel to the ridge, had to be jacked up to this level and reach out across and over the bowl in order to make a soft landing on the rocky outcrop to the north where the best light was to be found. An elevated structure, on a minimalist footprint, prioritizing a low impact intervention to the existing terrain, was also understood to have the added benefit of creating a dramatic approach to the home by emphasizing, and assuring the persistence of, the magnificent vista that lay beyond the precipice.

The architectural program The main floor, the heart of the project (anchored at one end, atop a base where a lonely rock once stood) hovers over the rocky cleft and projects a vast, outdoor, partially covered terrace towards a moss-covered escarpment to the north. From this exterior perch, dedicated to relaxation and outdoor living with its embedded spa and leisure furniture, one passes to the fluid interior spaces of the kitchen, dining room, living room, and the couple’s bedroom suite at the southern end of this linear building.

The staircase and foyer, which communicates with the home’s main entrance hall at ground level, are inserted between the living room and the bedroom. Adjacent to the entrance hall, we find, a bunkroom, capable of accommodating up to 10 guests.

The sitting area, glazed floor to ceiling on both sides, is bathed in natural light. To the east, a dramatic incline exposes a spectacular view of the forest canopy. Several alcoves, projecting out from the façades, grant extra space to the kitchen, dining area, and master bathroom and provide additional views and sunlight to penetrate from the south.

The master suite, the only private space on the main level, features full-height windows as well. One of these was placed along the main circulation axis, directly in front of an outcrop. The effect is one of total transparency from one end of the house to the other. On the west side, the carefully designed bathroom features a perfect spot for contemplation with its bathtub inserted in a glassed-in corner alcove.

Materials and color palette Wood is everywhere present in this 215 sq m home, which strives towards symbiosis with the surrounding environment. The exposed roof structure is made of engineered wood produced from Northern Québec black spruce. Particular attention was paid to the design and detailing of these structural elements supporting the roof’s regular grid. The façades, clad in eastern white cedar, were pretreated with a product accelerating the greying process, so as to blend into the landscape like a chameleon sunning itself on a rock, and to keep future maintenance to a minimum.

Solid maple was used for the kitchen islands, the vanities the stairs, and the catwalk whereas Russian plywood was used throughout for the rest of the built-in cabinetry. The bright palette chosen by the architects for the interiors contrasts sharply with the, at times, dark forest around the house. Polished concrete floors, gypsum walls, and the natural aluminum windows blend harmoniously with the wood and help brighten the abundant natural light.

Below deck, the foundation was insulated from without in order to preserve the rough concrete within, a reminder of the rock that now shores up the edge of the precipice. The exposed concrete blends in perfectly with the outcrops of stone seen just beyond the windows. Such is the nature of shelter and place.

In communion Born of a client’s desire to reconnect with the natural environment, Forest House I, attempts to distill the essence of a place by folding the landscape into every nook and cranny of the home. It is the first in a series of similarly themed homes presently being developed by the team at Natalie Dionne Architecture. The Forest Home series reflect the architect’s growing desire to promote the ecological use of renewable materials.

Forest House I in Eastern Townships, QC – Building Information

Architects: Natalie Dionne Architecture Location: Bolton-Est, Eastern Townships, QC, Canada Area of the project: House 2300sq.ft. (215sq.m.) / Terraces 650sq.ft. (60sq.m.) Project end date: Fall 2020 Design team: Natalie Dionne, Corinne Deleers, Rosemarie Faille-Faubert, and Martin Laneuville Clients: Martine Bleau and Louis Barrière Engineer: Latéral

About Natalie Dionne Architecture Montréal-based Natalie Dionne Architecture has received widespread attention over the years. Particularly known for their residential work, the firm received one of Québec’s major awards in the spring of 2020 for their most recent urban insertion project La Duette.

It was the second time the Ordre des architects du Québec (OAQ) acknowledged the firm for its inventiveness, understanding of complex sites, and ability to come up with unexpected solutions. In 2009, the OAQ had hailed their transformation of a derelict urban space into a vibrant live-in-studio named U-House, from which they have been operating since. In 2013, Grand Prix du Design awarded them top honors for another rural project in the Eastern Townships, T-House.

Due to their previous involvement with the visual arts and the film industry, Natalie Dionne and her partner, Martin Laneuville, possess a deep understanding of materials and scenic effects. This multidisciplinary experience has had a strong impact on their ability to come up with unusual concepts that bring poetry to daily life.

Photographs: Raphaël Thibodeau

Forest House I, Eastern Townships images / information received 171120

Location: Bolton-Est, Eastern Townships, QC, Canada

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Comments / photos for the Forest House I, Eastern Townships page welcome

Website : Eastern Townships, QC

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