Continue hammering nails in a ring around the tree, about one-half inch apart. Doing so will damage an increased number of growth cells as well as increase the concentration of copper in the tree. ... The idea that one copper nail will kill a tree is only true for very small trees, such as saplings.

Does putting nails in trees kill them?

Fortunately, trees are durable plants. Hammering a nail into a tree does create a wound, says nails-hurt-trees" rel="nofollow noopener">HGTV, but if the tree is healthy, no serious harm will be done. ... Never wrap the trunk in wire or rope because this can kill the tree.

How do you attach something to a tree without harming the tree?

For the actual hanging process, the best way to do it is with straps. Any kind of strong fabric or cordage will work, but we definitely really like using flat nylon webbing. You can even glue/sew/staple Velcro to the fabric, which allows you to strap it to the tree without any kind of invasive process for the tree.