What is Girdling?
Girdling is any activity that injures the bark of a tree trunk and extends around much of the trunk’s circumference. Such injuries, often caused by lawnmowers and weed trimmers, destroy the tree’s most vital membranes, the layers that conduct water and minerals from the roots to the leaves and return the food produced by the leaves to the rest of the tree.
The term “girdling” can refer to a number of things, including a gem cutting technique and the wearing of shaping garments by women. In this particular wiseGEEK article, “girdling” is being used in the sense of a horticultural practice which involves trees. Tree girdling occurs when a strip of bark around a tree’s circumference is removed. This practice will ultimately cause death for the tree, and it is not generally recommended. Trees use their bark to transport nutrients. When a strip of bark is removed, the tree cannot move certain nutrients up and down, and it will slowly die off. Death is prolonged because the trunk of the tree can be used to transport some nutrients, so the tree will survive until deficiencies in sugars start to set in. Tree girdling usually happens by accident, although it is sometimes utilized in forestry management. Some trees become girdled when they are tethered to supportive stakes as they grow. The tether eventually pulls tight against the trunk of the tr
