purposely girdling trees

[che]

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[Stumper]

If you went all the way around you have killed the tree( definitely so if there is a visible gap left by the saw kerf. Unfortunately the tree does'nt know it yet. Girdled trees frequently don't give up the ghost until the next growing season. If you want quicker results, girdle the tree and pour herbicide into the cut. If you know any primitive bowyers in your area they may be interested in yoour osage trees( but many trees won't yield good bow staves.).

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

The probelm is in girdling most trees, you sever the phloem, which is a few cells thick, and there is still sufficient xylme to suport the top. I've seen girdlled trees last a few years. Many trees use 4 rings of xylem for upwards conduction, some use more.

Girdling was a homestead meathod of getting firewood. They would have the trees dry on the stick so the could cut them down when they wanted to use the fuel.

One thing to do is a frill app of roundup right after cutting. paint the girdling wound right away to get root kill.

 

[Treebeard]

sprouts

Don't be surprised if the area below your cut sprouts like mad either...some trees are worse than others. Some trees cut entirely doen to a stump will bounce back with a thicket of sprouts.

 

[John Paul Sanborn]

Some trees dont need to be cut down to propigate vegitatively.

 

[treeclimber165]

I never heard of Crossbow, but I know Roundup is a 'systemic herbicide', meaning it is absorbed through the leaves and screws up the photosynthesis process. Roundup works faster and better on new, active growth than older, hardened foliage. If Crossbow works in a similar manner, I'd use it mostly during the growing season. Spraying it when the trees/sprouts are dormant in the winter would have little effect.
Sounds like you have a big project on your hands!

 

[che]

Hi Brian,

Crossbow...if I got the name right....was a new product that the guy at the extension office was giving to interested farmers to control their multiflora rose in fields/fences. It was said to be systemic, as is RoundUp, but had a better absorption rate through the woody tissue. It may be called by another name now....with everything else we needed to do, multiflora rose didn't seem to be a big enough problem to really worry about...so there it sat.

BUT....you're right, if I'm going to use anything on these cuts....it would probably have to be during it's growth period to be effective.

Che

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

Crossbow works best in the fall. Spray a small amount on the stump and it's history. Sparying it on the leaves works too. This stuff is stronger than roundup, which does not do too much to woody plants, without repeated applications.