Staking Trees

There are many reasons why young trees may need staking. For example, the type of stake used is dependent on many circumstances, expected wind conditions, trunk strength, tree height, desired growth habit of tree and traffic around the area of the tree.

There are three main types of staking, protective, anchor and supportive.

Protective staking is used to protect the tree from mowing equipment damage, vandal damage and other vehicle or pedestrian damage. Fitzpatrick (1949) wrote that trees are often “easily snapped by wind or ill disposed persons”, and it is in cases like this that protective staking can be of benefit.

Anchor staking is used to support the roots of a recently planted upright tree until the root system develops so as to be able to support the weight of the tree. Often at time of planting for bare root trees in the spring, the roots need support until they have established themselves throughout the growing season.

Supportive staking is the type of staking that a tree needs when its trunk/stem is not strong enough to support the tree during a wind. Often transplanted standards need supportive staking. It should be noted that support staking is usually the last resort when planting trees as it delays the time in, which the tree becomes strong.

The gallery below illustrates examples of each type of staking and some examples of poor practice.