You’ll Never Guess What’s Hidden in This Trunk
May 7, 2025
Source: Reddit
The other day, I was strolling in the neighborhood, clutching a cup of coffee. Then I saw it. A tree so metal that it has a straight up metal bolt in the middle of it, like a steampunk upgrade to an otherwise drab branch, effectively saving split tree trunks.
I mean I’m looking at this tree and my first reaction is, “Did someone try to plug this tree into an outlet?” But nope. That bolt had come to some good. It was saving the life of the tree.
That bit of rusty steel? It is actually a piece of a legitimate method for saving split tree trunks. Totally legit. Arborist-approved. And kind of brilliant.
When Trees Split (And We Don’t Just Break Up)
Trees split. Wind, heavy limbs, strange growth angles — all sorts of reasons. One bad storm and snap.
You may as well believe that’s the end. But some people? They’d rather fix than cut, opting for saving split tree trunks.
Bolts: Not Just for Ikea Furniture
An arborist bores a hole up through the trunk, threads in a steel rod, puts washers and nuts on the top, and cinches them up. Saving split tree trunks involves such practical measures.
The split can’t become deeper now. The tree settles. Heals. Produces new wood in the area of the wound.
The bolt is now in a tree. No high-tech wizardry — just old-school mechanical help.
That Time I Thought the Tree Was Winking at Me
The first one that I saw was shaped like an eye. A rusty metal one. I texted a picture to a friend and wrote, “I think this tree’s watching me.”
But what I was actually witnessing was healing. The bolt had been swallowed by the tree. It adapted. Stayed upright. Kept going.
Not Every Tree Gets This Chance
Some trees are too far gone. But when one counts — because it’s old and beautiful or a family member — you bolt on the locks.
It’s not flashy. Nothing more than practical, and a tad poetic.
More Than Just Metal in Bark
So now when I see a tree with a bolt in it, I see a story. Somewhere along the line, somebody figured it was worth holding together.
And you know what, there’s something kind of solid about that.
And we’re all a little cracked now and then. Doesn’t mean we’re done. It just turns out we might need a bolt or two to keep going.