Because you have live tissue there-I think-this could work. Just be aware in the future that all that hardware is in there. Very often completely obscured by subsequent growth, which can be a bad thing for the poor slob that comes along with power equipment.

+oM

Photo 1 the tissue is dead.

Yes, remove all hardware or someone with a chainsaw later could be mauled.

Dax

I did it before w/a 8' x 10' sour cherry smashed downward by an ice-storm. Used a drill to make pilot holes, then put in large, long wood screws. Actually worked on many of the branches -- wood eventually grew around the screws & it continued producing good cherry crops.

This little tree's small branches would never get big enough to have to use a chain saw (and the screw-ends were still poking out & visible), other than at the base of the trunk.

Thanks +oM, Dax, & Beng for the replies. Just to be clear, those are not photos of my trees, just some I found on the internet that represent the type of damage and potential repair I am considering. I still have another 1ft or so of snow to melt before I can see how bad it is...

I think the problem for me is that this damage probably occurred under the snow sometime over the past month or two and I'm just getting a chance to inspect it now..which makes me think I should just do clean cuts as best I can and hope for the best. Had this been a wind storm, where I could have gone out right away and repaired, I think the bolt solution might work, but having had so much time pass, I gotta cut my loses. So far, the worst damage was on Acer p. 'Red Dragon', 3+ft and the way it broke, I will lose one whole half... if it even survives.

I don't think there is really much you can do proactivly to prevent this type of damage... snow was just too deep and too heavy...

just properly prune off the broken stuff.. and call it mother natures way of shaping your future ...

riddle me this bat man ... if the plant broke under bending ... by whatever cause ... then how much less will it bend.. with a bolt thru it ...

IMHO ... it wont.. and it will break again ...

i would rather watch and learn how nature does these things.. rather than looking at hardware ..

all that said ... i learned a lot of stuff by experimenting ... so if you decide to do such.. keep a photo journal.. and keep us posted .. over the years.. on how it is all done ...

the whole chainsaw killing hardware ... is very important on something that will turn into a large tree that will eventually get chainsawed.. or chipped ... i grow plant of conifers.. that will never get that size ... but also... i burn dead things.. rather than putting them into the garbage... where some city might put them thru a shredder for the city compost program ... make decisions that provide a safe future in this regard ...

ken

Living in S.Shore MA I have quite a bit of damage too. I have had some luck using hose clamps to secure the branches back. I have a weeping maple that split 2-3 years ago that I bolted and put a hose clamp on. The only branch left after this winter is that one.....

I had a Sciadopity that had many broken branches that year and all of them lived. I wrap them with electrical tape first before I put on the clamp. You can loosen the clamp a little every year too.

I'm picking up a few dozen clamps tomorrow, not much else to do in the yard right now...

Around 4 or 5 years ago we did it to this crepe myrtle at one of my brothers house. A real large limb had split and fell but remained attached somewhat. I had a screw gun in my truck along with some 4" fence screws and must of ran about a dozen in there to get it to hold tight. Today that tree is a beast.....remember, the break was fresh and it is a crepe myrtle.

@Ken - Yep, I was being irrational thinking I could salvage these branches. I went around today and just made the best clean cuts I could. I am now part of the "weirder the better" club, until these young trees either die or self correct.
@ksc36 - I do am in MA, just south of rt. 128... I think everyone in the area is dealing with a lot of damage. @alleycat - Yea, just like with grafting, I think the timing is critical. Since these breaks probably occured weeks ago, I just went around today and clean cut all the limbs...