Woodshed Wonder 07: Meet “Proppy”

A round of wood attached to a post with a bolt.

Proppy came to live at Woodpecker Tree Care HQ one summer, after the crew returned from a small removal job. They made themselves at home on the porch, ready to entertain newcomers and visitors with their riddle: “Who am I?”

Proppy served a very important purpose for many years, and is excited to share their work with you.

This mysterious creation looks silly, but was an essential part of a tree’s longevity for many years. Proppy is, as you may have guessed, a prop fashioned by Rory to help a leaning apple tree.

A round of wood attached to a prop.

Trees, for many reasons, can start to lean or slowly fall over throughout their life. A common cause for a leaning tree in this part of the world is wind, which we suspect is what caused Proppy’s apple tree to start leaning (combined with poor structural roots).

A tree propped up by a metal prop
A leaning tree with a metal prop (photo: Mission Street Parks Conservancy).

Rory fashioned a prop to help the tree remain upright enough to stay alive, but the apple tree did eventually fail in a windstorm. We recovered Proppy and brought them back to educate new recruits about prop construction.

Is your tree leaning? Proppy might be able to help! Give us a call and we will see if propping is right for your tree.