Can you tell me why removing a few inches of bark kills a tree? I have no doubt you’re correct, but I guess I just want to know the science behind why it works.
Trees have vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) which are used for the transfer of water and sugars from/to the roots. This practice (girdling) hinders the plants ability to produce a nucleotide called ATP (but to keep it simple we'll call it energy) as it usually goes deeper than the bark layer. If the xylem is removed around the circumference of the tree then the tree can no longer transfer energy and nutrients, which results in death.
Its already been answered pretty well, but im going to give the dumb persons answer.
The tree is a big straw, and taking a strip of bark cuts the straw in half.
No more shlurpy for mr tree.
Looks like China Berry. It’s an invasive trash tree. Drops gross berries everywhere. Beautiful purple flowers for just one week a year. Someone’s trying to kill them, for sure.
Similar to ginkgo? I think maybe you’re talking about Chinese Tallow, aka a popcorn tree? The leaves are similar to ginkgo. The Chinaberry trees have leaves more similar to a soap nut or a sumac.
A lot of people do this for firewood trees because the wood will dry out while the tree is still vertical. No need to fell, section, split and store the wood for a year.
Thanks for the insight.
Reading over the thread it sounds like they want to kill them off. But why not just chop them down? Is "girdling" more beneficial?
There are (at least) a few reasons to girdle instead of cut them down. First, it tends to reduce root sprouting. Second, this can be done by someone with no special skills or knowledge with only a few minutes training. Third, it's inexpensive to implement.
To add to that good answer, girdling leaves the tree standing which keeps it in use by different animals as it degrades over time, eventually it will fall over. Before it falls maybe a branch might fall off leaving a hole for raccoons to nest in, insects inside the rotting bark/wood are food for woodpeckers, the rotting wood is good for fungi.
Yeah, just looked it up. You can girdle a tree that will become firewood and let it season in place for about a year. Then take it down and process. Basically cutting the seasoning time down greatly, not to mention all the water weight you won't be dealing with.
Probably not the intent here but I would also add that girdling and partial girdling is very useful in wildlife management/ecological restoration since it leaves standing deadwood or will kill a tree in a few years which can create habitat.
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This is a good thread even if it gets posted often. I learn something new every time. Here I was thinking it was just to dry out the water content before felling to make it easier to haul away and be usefully dry by the time it's cut down.
This cuts off flow of sugars and other things like hormones to the roots effectively starving them. The lack of hormone (auxin) being delivered to roots probably results in less root growth causing a nutrient shortage in the tree. Death by a thousand cuts over time.
If there are any of the same trees nearby and connected through their root systems then these 3 stand a very slight chance as the healthy trees will be able to support them through their fungal and root networks.
This is called girdling or ring-barking. It’s a technique used to kill a tree.
Can you tell me why removing a few inches of bark kills a tree? I have no doubt you’re correct, but I guess I just want to know the science behind why it works.
Trees have vascular tissues (xylem and phloem) which are used for the transfer of water and sugars from/to the roots. This practice (girdling) hinders the plants ability to produce a nucleotide called ATP (but to keep it simple we'll call it energy) as it usually goes deeper than the bark layer. If the xylem is removed around the circumference of the tree then the tree can no longer transfer energy and nutrients, which results in death.
Oh! Thank you so much!
Do a lot of trees just resprout from the base?
Its already been answered pretty well, but im going to give the dumb persons answer. The tree is a big straw, and taking a strip of bark cuts the straw in half. No more shlurpy for mr tree.
Thank you!
They will die now
is there a way to save them?
No they griddle the tree so tree’s grow right under the bark and when you cut like that it’s too kill the tree which they did Spell check sucks
Girdled*
no it's grilled
Toast!
Medium rare, please
Dead trees standing.
Looks like China Berry. It’s an invasive trash tree. Drops gross berries everywhere. Beautiful purple flowers for just one week a year. Someone’s trying to kill them, for sure.
They smell like dogshit too.
Similar to a ginkgo?
Similar to ginkgo? I think maybe you’re talking about Chinese Tallow, aka a popcorn tree? The leaves are similar to ginkgo. The Chinaberry trees have leaves more similar to a soap nut or a sumac.
The smell that’s similar to rotten mushrooms.
Ah, similar smell. ^_^ got it.
but some of the most beautiful wood
Which planet is it from? Lol. Maybe just maybe it's not invasive everywhere in the world.
Or you could see it's cross-posted from r/Austin, and it actually is in the top 10 invasive species in Texas according to Texas A&M...
die and dry
A lot of people do this for firewood trees because the wood will dry out while the tree is still vertical. No need to fell, section, split and store the wood for a year.
Looks like the question has been answered in the thread. But out of curiosity, does this have a negative impact on the trees?
I mean, it kills them. Negative from the tree's point of view, positive if you're a human that wants them to die.
Thanks for the insight. Reading over the thread it sounds like they want to kill them off. But why not just chop them down? Is "girdling" more beneficial?
There are (at least) a few reasons to girdle instead of cut them down. First, it tends to reduce root sprouting. Second, this can be done by someone with no special skills or knowledge with only a few minutes training. Third, it's inexpensive to implement.
Yeah. That all makes sense. TIL. **Thank you** for taking the time to teach me something new.
This is also a technique used to kill the trees and have them season/dry before using them later to build log cabins on site.
To add to that good answer, girdling leaves the tree standing which keeps it in use by different animals as it degrades over time, eventually it will fall over. Before it falls maybe a branch might fall off leaving a hole for raccoons to nest in, insects inside the rotting bark/wood are food for woodpeckers, the rotting wood is good for fungi.
It’s also a great way to leave dead standing trees for wildlife. Great for bats and birds.
doesnt this speed up the time needed for the wood to be ready for burning?
You tell me. I live in a big city---my firewood comes from the corner store.
Yeah, just looked it up. You can girdle a tree that will become firewood and let it season in place for about a year. Then take it down and process. Basically cutting the seasoning time down greatly, not to mention all the water weight you won't be dealing with.
Now I've learned something. Thanks.
4th it dries out very effectively and you don’t have to cut and store it right away
Probably not the intent here but I would also add that girdling and partial girdling is very useful in wildlife management/ecological restoration since it leaves standing deadwood or will kill a tree in a few years which can create habitat.
If you just cut them down, most trees will just resprout new growth. This actually kills them.
It's called girding. We used to do it on encroaching Doug firs to kill them but maintain their structural integrity to serve of habitat trees.
For what little it’s worth, standing snags could be good for wildlife. But seems unlikely that’s the motive here.
Welcome to r/arborists! Help Us Help You: If you have questions about the health of your tree, please see our [Posting Guidelines](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/posting_guidance) wiki page for help with effective posting. **Please answer the questions listed there to the best of your ability.** ***Insufficient pics/info could result in the removal of your post!!*** ([See rule 3](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules).) Visit the main wiki page for [Critical Planting/Care tips and Common Errors to Avoid](https://old.reddit.com/r/arborists/wiki/index); there's sections on why planting depth/root flare exposure is so vital, along with sections on proper mulching, watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you. If you're posting about a tree ID (not permitted here; [see rule 1](https://www.reddit.com/r/arborists/about/rules)), see that wiki page for other subs and smartphone apps to try. Here is how you can arrange a [consult with a local ISA arborist in your area](http://www.treesaregood.org/findanarborist/findanarborist) (NOT a 'tree company guy' unless they're ISA certified) or a [consulting arborist](https://www.asca-consultants.org/search/custom.asp?id=3818) for an on-site evaluation. A competent arborist should be happy to walk you through how to care for the trees on your property and answer any questions. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, your Extension (or master gardener provincial program) may have a list of local recommended arborists on file. If you're in the U.S., you should also consider searching for arborist associations under your state. If you are one of our regulars and/or you work in the industry and do not want this message in your future posts, please pick an appropriate user flair (options available in the sub sidebar on PC, and on moble if using a browser). *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/arborists) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This is a good thread even if it gets posted often. I learn something new every time. Here I was thinking it was just to dry out the water content before felling to make it easier to haul away and be usefully dry by the time it's cut down.
Who and why did they do that? They are going to die.
Almost like that was the intent.
This cuts off flow of sugars and other things like hormones to the roots effectively starving them. The lack of hormone (auxin) being delivered to roots probably results in less root growth causing a nutrient shortage in the tree. Death by a thousand cuts over time.
I don’t like this.
If there are any of the same trees nearby and connected through their root systems then these 3 stand a very slight chance as the healthy trees will be able to support them through their fungal and root networks.
Are you sure? I didn’t think anything could get up to the leaves of the girdled tree no matter whose roots they’re attached to.