Ringing a tree????

[pook]

ya, i did some research but if the tree is girdled & notched so that 1/2 the trunk was exposed to air instead of connected to the roots wouldnt the capillary flow from the roots be reduced? asssuming the tree stays upright.

another factor is that as the tree leaves suck up the water from the roots, CO2 travels down from the leaves into the roots.

 

[deerlakejens]

girdling is used around here to eliminate aspen to let hardwood regenerate. If you cut live aspen the roots will regen new growth. if it's girdled the roots die too

I agree that this is the biggest advantage that girdling provides. Lots of trees that will root sucker when cut, like cottonwoods, locusts, some of the flowering plums etc., will die and not sucker if girdled.

 

[CountryBoy19]

ya, i did some research but if the tree is girdled & notched so that 1/2 the trunk was exposed to air instead of connected to the roots wouldnt the capillary flow from the roots be reduced? asssuming the tree stays upright.

Yeah but what's the point? The tree isn't going to dry any faster? Are you wanting the tree for firewood? You know, the capillary action stops completely when you buck it up for firewood, and the seasoning is increased tremendously once it's split and stacked...

So what's the point of ringing a tree unless you just plan to leave it in place?

 

[merlynr]

My son had a hard maple that the roots had made their way to the septic drain field and plugged up one of the laterals. After digging it up and clearing the roots, I ringed it, not wanting to drop it then as it was hot part of summer and would have to take some fence down also. The leaves started dropping but not too fast. I just didn't want to go thru the root deal again. Later on we dropped it, but didn't seem all that dead.

 

[pook]

Yeah but what's the point? The tree isn't going to dry any faster? Are you wanting the tree for firewood? You know, the capillary action stops completely when you buck it up for firewood, and the seasoning is increased tremendously once it's split and stacked...

So what's the point of ringing a tree unless you just plan to leave it in place?

point is i'm just axing.
In the case of dropping the tree with leaves on it, I've heard the leaves will continue the capillary so it sucks some water out of the wood & the conclusion was to not cut up the tree until the leaves dry or fall off. Then supposedly when the tree is bucked, the pieces will be lighter to handle