Thread grafting: a branch where there is none

Sometimes the trunk has a gap a design needs filled and no branch will ever grow there on its own — thread grafting solves it by drilling a hole through the trunk at the point a branch is wanted and threading a live, flexible shoot from elsewhere on the tree (or a donor of the same species) through it. Left in place while it fuses to the surrounding wood over one to two growing seasons, the threaded shoot becomes a genuine branch, and the donor end is cut free once the graft has taken. It asks for a steady hand, a very sharp bit, and the patience to leave the result alone while it heals.