Abstract:
A system and apparatus for supporting newly planted trees in which a plurality of stakes are positioned adjacent and around a supported tree. In one aspect of the invention, the individual stakes are rigidly secured together by elements which are vertically movable along the stakes and releasably secured to the stakes at desired vertical positions. In another aspect of the invention, flexible tie members interconnect the tree trunk with the stake. The connection between the tie member and its associated stake is such that the connection may be releasably locked to the stake at different vertical positions along the stake.

Description:
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS 
     This application claims priority from Provisional Application Ser. No. 60/772,306, filed Feb. 10, 2006, and entitled Tree Staking Arrangement. 
    
    
     FEDERALLY SPONSORED RESEARCH 
     Not applicable. 
     SEQUENCE LISTING, ETC ON CD 
     Not applicable. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     1. Field of the Invention 
     This invention relates to the staking of newly planted immature trees, and more particularly to a system in which the supporting stakes and the tree are configured to provide safe, healthy support for the tree, and which allows for ease in adjustments to prevent damage to the young tree. 
     2. Description of Related Art 
     The use of stakes in connection with efforts to stabilize newly planted trees is well known in the art. A typical young tree with a small flexible trunk is not self-supporting. Accordingly, it is common practice to drive one or more rigid stakes or poles into the ground adjacent and parallel to the tree. Ropes, ties, straps, or like flexible members are then wrapped around the tree trunk and the adjacent stake or pole in an attempt to stabilize the tree, until the subsequent root growth and trunk stability permits the tree to maintain a vertical orientation without any external assistance. 
     There are a number of problems with the foregoing system. In some instances, the straps or ties which interconnect the stake and the tree trunk tend to gouge or dig into the tree trunk and damage, or even destroy the tree. This is particularly true when the wind urges the tree away from its supporting stake, and/or when the tree grows and its enlarging circumference expands around the supporting strap, tie, etc. 
     Other problems arise due to the fact that the stakes themselves, even though made of rigid material and driven into the ground for stability may nevertheless list or lean from a normally vertical position, and thus fail to give the appropriate stabilizing effect to the tree to which the stake or stakes are attached 
     Moving the ropes, ties, or straps vertically on the tree trunk at timed intervals will prevent damage to the tree trunk, but such movement also requires movement of these flexible members along the stakes as well. This can present a time consuming and frequently difficult operation. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention is adapted to overcome the difficulties discussed above and provide a staking arrangement which will support an immature tree trunk in a substantially vertical disposition until the roots of the tree and/or the size of the trunk have grown sufficiently to be self-supporting. All of this is accomplished without harmful damage to the tree. 
     A further feature of the invention is to provide a tree staking arrangement in which a plurality of stakes are driven into the ground and positioned at generally equal spacing along a circumference whose center will be occupied by the tree. 
     A further feature of the present invention is the provision of two discrete but cooperating systems for stabilizing a newly planted immature tree. The first system employs a plurality of stakes driven into the ground in which rigid cross-bracing of the stakes is provided. The second system features flexible ties between each stake and its adjacent tree. In each of such systems, the connection of the cross-bracing and of the ties to the stakes is such that the vertical position of the cross-bracing and of the ties may be readily adjusted before any damage to the tree occurs. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  is a perspective view illustrating a three stake embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  is a top plan view of the three stake embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIG. 1 . 
         FIG. 3  is a perspective view, similar to  FIG. 1 , and illustrating a two stake alternative embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  is a top plan view of the two stake embodiment of the invention as shown in  FIG. 3 . 
         FIG. 5  is a top plan view of the cross brace sleeve. 
         FIG. 6  is an elevational view of the cross brace sleeve. 
         FIG. 7  is a top plan view of the tie bracket sleeve. 
         FIG. 8  is an elevational view of the tie bracket sleeve. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     The present invention for supporting immature trees involves the use of stakes, rods, or poles formed of some rigid material such as wood, metal, or the like. Preferably, and for reasons which will presently be made clear, the stakes are generally circular in cross-section for receiving cylindrical sleeves, capable of vertical adjustment or movement along the length of the stake. In connection with stake supports for newly planted trees, it is common practice to use stakes approximately ten to eleven feet long, and drive them into the ground adjacent the point on the ground where the new tree will be planted, leaving about seven to eight feet of the stake length above the ground elevation, along which the tree may be releasably tethered. 
     In some cases, the person planting a tree will drive a stake closely adjacent the tree trunk, and then use some form of flexible tie to releasably attach the tree and stake together. There are aspects of the present invention which may be applicable to such a procedure. However, it is better practice, particularly among professionals, to use two or three stakes per tree, and the features of this invention will be primarily described in connection with the two or three stake arrangement. 
     Referring first to  FIGS. 1 and 2  of the drawings, a three stake arrangement is illustrated in which three stakes  11  are disposed generally equidistant around a tree  12 . The stakes are shown as solid wooden rods, but as previously mentioned, the stakes could also be formed of metal or plastic tubing, or other rigid, form-retaining structural element which may be driven into the ground and provide lateral support to a tree which may be tied to the stake. 
     Even an immature tree may have substantial foliage, and under high wind conditions the wind force tends to bend the tree and impose a considerable bending or lateral force on the tied stake upwind from tree. Accordingly, as one feature of the present invention, a reinforcing or cross-bracing system is provided between the stakes and independent of their ties to the tree. As shown, the bracing comprises rigid elements  14  horizontally disposed between and attached to adjacent stakes. The positioning of the bracing elements is such that they do not interfere with, or engage the trunk of the tree  12 , even during limited horizontal movement or bending of the tree under wind conditions. 
     Although separate elements could be used, e.g., a simple length of strap metal, having about a one inch width, it is preferable to use a single piece of strap metal bent as indicated at  16  to embrace one stake, with the angularly related legs (with an included angle of about 60°) having their distal end positions attached to two adjacent stakes. This effectively locks the three stakes together and avoids relative movement between the stakes, even under wind load conditions; and further limits movement of any stake upwind of the tree against which the wind is acting. 
     It is preferable that the attachment of the one or more cross-braces to the stakes be such that the height thereof can be varied as the tree grows or that additional braces be added at different elevations along the tree trunk without any direct securing of the brace to the tree. This is accomplished by means of a cross-brace sleeve  17 . The sleeve includes a rigid tubular section  18  (approximately four inches long) having an internal diameter slightly larger than the external diameter of the stake  11  on which it is telescopically mounted. Section  18  may be releasably attached to its stake at any desired elevation by providing a rigid gasket  19  attached to the outside of section  18 , such as by welding, provided with an internally threaded aperture connecting with an aperture in a wall of the section  18 . A machine bolt  21  having an enlarged head, or other means for rotating the bolt to cause its distal end portion  25  to pass into the cavity defined by the sleeve and engage the stake disposed in the sleeve. The exposed end of portion  25  is shown flat in the drawing, and this is appropriate where the stake is plastic or metal. However, for a wood stake, the end may be pointed so as to penetrate the stake and obtain a better lock against vertical displacement. 
     Diametrically opposite bolt  21 , a pair of vertically spaced bolts  22  are welded or otherwise secured to sleeve  18 . A strap-like rigid plate  23  is provided with a pair of apertures for mounting the plate on the bolts  22 . Nuts  24  and washers  26  are threaded onto the bolts and tightening of the nuts will cause plate  22  to move towards the sleeve  18  and lock the cross-brace elements  14  to the sleeve. The elements  14  may be placed in the opening or passageway defined by sleeve  18 , plate  23  and bolts  22  when the nuts  24  are loosened. 
     The foregoing explanation describes how the stakes are releasably locked together, and an explanation will now be given of the manner in which the stakes are attached to the tree so as to control bending or lateral movement of the tree. 
     In general terms, flexible tie members  31  interconnect the tree  12  with the respective stakes  11 . The tie members directly engage a portion of the tree and are preferably flexible and formed of relatively soft material so as to minimize any abrasive or gouging action of the ties in rubbing against the tree trunk. As will be seen in  FIG. 2 , each stake has a tie secured thereto and then wrapped around the tree trunk. The ties can be made of fabric, elastic material, leather, or other material such as wire which is embedded in rubber or like material which prevent the wire from cutting into the tree. There are many commercial ties available for this purpose. 
     In a manner somewhat similar to the cross-bracing sleeves  18  supporting the braces  14 , there is disclosed tie bracket sleeves  34 , best illustrated in  FIGS. 7 and 8  of the drawings. Each sleeve includes a tubular sleeve portion  36  whose inner diameter is slightly larger than the outer diameter of stakes  11 . Sleeve portions  36  can have a shorter axial extent (e.g., one inch) than sleeve portions  18  and are adjusted to slide vertically along its stake until it reaches a height at which the tree is to be attached to the stake. At this point, the sleeve  36  may be releasably fixed to its stake. The latter is accomplished by welding or otherwise securing a back plate  37  to the sleeve. The back is provided with an internally threaded aperture  38 , through which a bolt  39  is threaded. The exposed end of the bolt has an enlarged head  41  by means of which the bolt may be threaded into or out of the cavity defined by the sleeve. The distal end  42  of the bolt will engage the stake in the cavity and lock the sleeve to the stake. 
     As discussed in connection with the sleeve  18 , the end of bolt  42  is preferably flat if the stake is constructed of metal, but may be pointed if the stake is formed of wood. 
     Diametrically opposite the back plate  37  is a generally U-shaped bracket  44  whose legs  46  are welded or otherwise secured to the sleeve  36  and whose web  47  is spaced from the sleeve so as to define an opening or passageway through which the tie member may pass and/or be secured. 
     In those instances where it is determined that two stakes are adequate to properly support the tree, the cross-brace sleeve  17  and the tie sleeve  34  can remain the same as with the three stake arrangement. Here, and as shown in  FIGS. 3 and 4 , the cross-bracing includes a rigid member having a V-shaped central section  51  and co-linear flanges  52  extending from the ends of the central section. The flanges  52  may be inserted in the space or passageway between plate  23  and sleeve  18  and be locked therein upon tightening of the bolts  22 . 
     It should be understood that when three stakes are used, it is possible to use a simple linear cross-bracing element extending between two adjacent stakes. However, with only two stakes, if a simple straight bar is used, it would be in line with or closely adjacent the tree trunk and undesirably scrape against the same. 
     The arrangement described and discussed herein permits multiple stakes to reinforce each other and consequently give added stability to the tree. It further permits simple changes in the height or elevation of the cross-bracing, as well as permitting more than one set of braces at different elevations. It also provides for a relatively simple manner of tying a tree to two or more stakes with the capability of easily moving the ties to different elevations along the tree trunk so as to avoid continuous abrasion or scraping at any one portion of the tree.