Bolting Branches

In the fall, I had noticed that a branch on the small tree in my backyard was drooping very low. It turned out that the branch had cracked at the fork, so I decided to remove it. That's the black mark at the bottom of the first picture. After I finished that, I noticed that there was a crack developing in the fork of the other 2 branches and decided that I needed to reinforce it eventually. Well, the next night, those split, but a lot! You can see how the split, in the first picture, travels about a foot down to where the other branch used to be. I couldn't cut these branches off because then there would be no tree left. So I just duck taped it for the winter. Today, I finally decided to get the supplies and bolt the branches together. They say that the tree gets its nutrients through the outer layer, so you would strangle it if you tied it. A 1/4 x 3 stainless steel bolt worked well at the top of the split. The branches seem strong enough that they're not going to buckle anywhere along the split, but I'm going to keep my eye on it. I think it turned out pretty well. Now I can continue to enjoy the colorful buds on all the branches.