Do Bolts Hurt Trees?

[emrah.oruc.7]

I’m sure it’s been discussed but do climbing bolts (say Treehopper method) hurt the tree?

Emrah


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[Arrowsquirrel]

I suppose they do. I don't have a lot of experience but I just checked some trees I had drilled in the yard a couple months ago. Just about couldn't find the wholes. Tree looks nice and healthy...

 

[catman529]

I’d have to assume at least a few trees die from infection due to bolt holes. Can’t use em here on public land anyway


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[hairy chinch bug]

Even though I don't think they feel pain,... piercing a hole into a plant can easily introduce diseases. For the most part, trees are resilient and a healthy tree would recover within a few years without noticeable sign.

Would I use bolts:
A. On my land:
i. On low value lumber trees - Sure, maybe.
ii. Quality hardwoods - never under any situation
B. On some other person's land - p'roly not
C. On public land if legal - haven't ever run into that, but doubt I would; not my land.

 

[ricky racer]

Do taps in maple trees hurt the trees? I don't think they physically hurt the tree. The only damage is leaving the bolts in the trees.

 

[huck72412]

Holes don’t kill trees any more than guns kill people.

 

[Aeds151]

It can. Over time, it can produce diseases and access to insects. It devalues it as merchantable timber (thus why it is illegal on NFS Lands). I doubt 20 bolt holes in a healthy tree is gonna seal its fate but
It is always a possibility.


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[Swampfox]

Ask WHW. He’s the local expert on bolts having few decades of experience with them.

 

[kyler1945]

This debate always makes me think the same thing - Does ingesting soda kill a human being?

 

[woodsdog2]

I have a saddle system I used to use years ago that required you to use a set of 8 eyelet bolts screwed into a tree to enable you to both climb and then secure yourself to the tree. I also used cranford and other styles of screw in steps for years to get into my Loc-on and other fixed position type tree stands. Heck we used to nail and screw board ladders and two by fours into trees and used them as stands for years without the trees dying. Now I haven't inventoried all of them and the place we used most of these I moved away from but I still go to those areas occasionally and I don't see major problems. With that being said, there are so many alternatives available now that are much safer and present a much better public image. As a hunter, I like to think we try to utilize our natural resources in a wise manner. I'm a conservationist, not a preservationist. But I will always walk rather than ride if I can, I will always try to leave the place better than I found it. If I get permission to hunt private land, utilizing a non potentially damaging system on/in their trees just makes the process of getting and keeping permission even better and puts us all in a better light.

 

[ThePennsylvanian]

The cambium layer is directly under the bark. This is the layer of the tree that grows the bark and the new layer of the wood. This is the true "living" part of the tree. When it is punctured or exposed, depending on the tree, it has a very high chance of death. Now, some trees are more resistant, soft wood tree are more tolerant to punctures because they can usually plug the hole with sap overnight. Most evergreens, maples, and though not technically a soft wood walnut are very good at healing punctures quickly. Chestnuts, oaks, and (if you can find one alive) white ash will not fair well from the punctures, unless they are plugged and dressed. They are mostly illegal however, as @Aeds151 said the devalue the tree, and they are a resource the same as a deer!

 

[ChasingFlats86]

http://blog.davey.com/2019/05/do-nails-screws-or-staples-hurt-trees/

 

[emrah.oruc.7]

I have no desire to use them. I just notice some guys use them as their climbing method. Just curious what the consensus was.

Emrah


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[Buckhole75]

Can’t speak for bolts but have used Crawford screw ins on countless trees from Pines to Oaks to Hickory and have never seen a tree die from them.I used them exclusively for over 20 years on the same property and do not hunt from presets very often.Walk by trees that i have climbed multiple times over the years and no problems

 

[denots]

Holes don’t kill trees any more than guns kill people.

Do taps in maple trees hurt the trees? I don't think they physically hurt the tree. The only damage is leaving the bolts in the trees.

Both solid points. I've used bolts for 2 years now which is not an extensive amount of time. Not near as much time as someone like let's say @WHW, but I have not harmed a single tree that I can tell from a bolt hole. As a matter of fact it's pretty hard to even find where there was ever a bolt in the tree. Same with trees that I've climbed with Spurs. As far as damaging the cambium layer in my line of work( lawn care and Landscaping) I will often trim low hanging limbs on trees. I used to believe that you needed to treat the cut to help prevent disease or insect damage. But over the years I've done enough research and talked to enough people to know that those "treatments" that you buy are just a gimmick. The tree doesn't need you to do anything to it. Trees that die from insects or disease are usually week or have been subjected to some kind of invasive species like an emerald ash borer or some kind of disease such as blight. Putting a small hole into a tree it's not going to hurt it anymore than slicing off the top of your grass blades with a lawn mower blade. As long as you don't completely cut a ring around the tree through the cambium layer the tree will be fine. People should be more concerned about using deer urine, mineral sites, bait piles, and spreading CWD than they should be about puncturing a little hole in a tree.
For the record I use both bolts, and Spurs on trees in my very own yard. The first two pictures are from an oak tree in my yard. One is a bolt hole and the other is a mark from climbing with Spurs from 2 years ago. The third and fourth pictures are of two different bolt holes in a pecan tree that was drilled in February of this year. Hope this helps anybody who's considering this method make an informed decision.

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[ImThere]

I guess it depends if bugs or disease get in to the tree from the hole.



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[sureshotscott]

 

[Nutterbuster]

Given that @WHW and Robert Sheppard have used them for a long time and don't think they kill trees, and my own personal practice tree in my yard is healthy as a horse...

I think its fine.

My ecological impact from drilling is probably more than offset thanks to me refusing to round up, fertilize, or overseed my yard with non-native grass types.

 

[Sipsey]

30 + years ago Dr. Shepherd showed me trees in his backyard he used for demonstrations of a hanging stand he was helping a friend develop. He never had an issue I’m aware of. Another more “seasoned” member on here has seen no issues either in his decades of drilling. I have oak, sweet gum and hickory that have many holes that I’ve used over the years in my yard. I’ve never witnessed any issues except minor scarring as the holes grow over.

 

[patriotoutlaw]

From all of the abandoned tree steps I've encountered over the years that are grown into healthy trees I would say the chance of killing a tree with a treehopper drill under normal conditions would be unlikely. Trees receive much more damage from wind and falling trees, than from a hand drill.
I used landscape spikes for years on presets. I would buy them by the case and leave them in the tree. A 3/8" boring bit, the DeWalt and a couple taps from a hammer and I was good to go. Some of those trees were set 20 years ago. On the faster growing trees, once the spike was almost grown into the tree, I'd cut them with a saws-all, redrill and put in more spikes. I have a lot of trees scattered around with at least 20 spikes in each of them. Not a one, shows any sign of damage, all these years later. I realize this isn't exactly like leaving an open wound in the tree, but I beleive its close enough for reference.