Girdling Root

[joshuamr]

Hello! I recently bought a house with 3 shaggy bark hickory trees in the backyard. One of the trees has a girdling root and it has caused some damage to the flare. It’s a mature tree (roughly 70-80 feet). I was wondering if I should remove the girdling root. Or is the girdling root too big to remove at this point? Any suggestions would be helpful! Also, any tips on removing a girdling root (before/after) would be helpful!

 

[Del_]

It's not to big to remove.

Clear the soil away with water or compressed air and cut out as much as you can. Cut precision like with no damage to other tree parts. If you find it has grafted to itself be sure to not to damage other tree parts keeping any woulds as small as possible.

You and your tree should be good to go.

 

[ATH]

I'd cut it...but that's not really what we worry about with girdling roots. The problem is when they are wrapped around the trunk or a significant portion of the trunk.