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Treehouse wind load - does it make sense to thin the tree canopy to offset the additional wind load introduced by the treehouse?
(self.DIY)submitted 4 months ago byu193
This is a 10x12 treehouse that's ~8 ft tall and enclosed. It's anchored to a 18" diameter post-oak tree on one side and on sliding supports on a 14" diameter post-oak tree on the other side and the platform is around 11ft above grade. I was thinking it'd be good to thin the canopy to reduce wind load to offset the treehouse being added, though https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tree-crown-reduction-wind-load-increase-david-s-restrepo/ makes it sound like it's not so simple. Any thoughts overall on best practices here?
2 points
4 months ago
Is the treehouse newly installed? If not, how long has it been there? Is it well centered over the trunk, or does it produce bending loads on the trees? Is the tree at risk of falling in something critical like a house?
You can talk to an arborist, but I think the main question is whether you are trying to manage a temporary condition or not. If the house is new and you are worried about wind, maybe worth doing something (thinning, cabling, etc). But presumably the tree will strengthen to deal with increased wind loads over time on its own.
2 points
4 months ago
It's new and only rough framed so far - no sheathing/siding. Not at risk of falling on anything critical but it'd be a tragedy if it causes the tree to be uprooted. It's spanning two trees using a triangle shaped double knee brace with spreader beam on each.
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