Heating trees with electric heat cable
Tree heating can serve several purposes:
1- Prevention of frost damage, for example tropical trees. For this we recommend Heating Ribbon which is self-regulating and emits more heat as the ambient temperature drops.
2- Treatment of chestnut trees against bleeding disease. Heating tape or frost protection tape is NOT suitable for this application, as it is only effective at low temperatures. For electrically heating the trunk of a horse chestnut (or other tree), we recommend Heating Cable HT20.
Chestnut trees and heating
Treatment of diseased trees (with informative video)
Chestnut blight
File chestnut blight (research Wageningen UR)
Heat therapy diseased trees (Dutch broadcast news item)
The advantage of an electric heating cable is that the temperature can be precisely controlled. To kill chestnut tree bacteria, 40 to 45 °C is the optimal temperature. With a digital control, one can properly control and monitor the temperature of the heated trunk. The sensor is placed between 2 heat loops, on the trunk.
Installing heat cable for tree heating
Provide sufficient space between the loops of the cable so that the heat is properly distributed over the surface of the trunk. The optimum loop spacing should be determined experimentally. It is important that this spacing (between cable sections) be at least 7 cm everywhere, to avoid overheating.
The waterproof cable provides a heat output of 20 watts per running meter. The power required is difficult to calculate in advance, as it depends on many variables, such as: wood volume, wood species, moisture, bark roughness, outside temperature, wind, precipitation, insulation, etc.
After installing and securing the cable, apply a layer of insulation. Preferably insulation material in an aluminum sheath. This ensures better heat distribution. If the set temperature cannot be reached, the distance between the cable loops should be reduced.
A universal waterproof temperature control prevents excessive temperature and unnecessary power consumption. You can place this IP65 control outside. It automatically turns on the heater below the temperature you set. With a temperature control, the heater is only on when the measured temperature is lower than the value you set yourself.