How to Repair Broken Branches on an American Basswood Tree

High winds, general accidents and construction mishaps can all cause tree branches to break. Thankfully, broken branches are often fixable, as long as they are not dead. This includes the branches of the American basswood tree (Tilia Americana), also know as the American linden tree. The American basswood grows in USDA hardiness zones 2a through 7b and produces tiny, yellow, sweet-smelling flowers in mid-summer. Because the American basswood is an excellent shade tree, with branches spreading out to 50 feet in diameter, any attempts to repair damaged branches are worthwhile.

Ladder
Tree clippers
Wood glue
Scissors
Twine

Instructions

- 1
  Set up a ladder underneath the broken branch. Determine if the branch is dead. Grab the end of a twig on the branch and pull it downward. If the twig bends, the branch it alive; if it snaps, the branch is dead and removal is necessary.
- 2
  Grasp the clippers by their handles and remove as many small twigs from the broken branch as possible. Slice them off where they grow out of the branch. This reduces the weight of the branch.
- 3
  Apply a thin layer of wood glue to both sides of the split in the branch. Press them together for five minutes to allow the glue to partially set.
- 4
  Cut a length of twine that is triple the diameter of the broken branch. Wrap it around the branch to hold the split together while the glue cures for six to eight weeks. After that period of time, remove the twine.
- 5
  Examine the branch after six months for signs of new growth -- for example, newly sprouting twigs and leaves. If the branch does not have new growth and any twigs on snap when bent, it will have to be removed. Clip the branch off of the tree as close to the trunk as possible.

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