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Girdling, also called ring-barking, is the circumferential removal or injury of the bark (consisting of cork cambium or "phellogen", phloem, cambium and sometimes also the xylem) of a branch or trunk of a woody plant. Girdling prevents the tree from sending nutrients from its foliage to its roots, resulting in the death of the tree over time, and it can also prevent flow of nutrients in the other direction depending on how much of the xylem is removed. A branch completely girdled will fail; and, when the main trunk of a tree is girdled, the entire tree will die if it cannot regrow from above to bridge the wound. Human practices of girdling include forestry, horticulture, and vandalism. use the practice of girdling to thin . Extensive caused by certain fungi, bacteria or can girdle a trunk or limb. Animals such as rodents will girdle trees by feeding on outer bark, often during winter under snow. Girdling can also be caused by herbivorous mammals feeding on plant bark and by birds and insects, both of which can effectively girdle a tree by boring rows of adjacent holes.
use girdling as a cultural technique to yield larger fruit or to set fruit. In viticulture (grape cultivation), the technique is also called "cincturing".
Girdling is a slow process compared to felling and is often used only when necessary, such as in the removal of an individual tree from an ecologically protected area without damaging surrounding growth. An example is the girdling of selected Douglas-fir trees in some Northern California oak woodlands, such as Annadel State Park, in order to prevent that Douglas-fir from massive invasion of the mixed oak woodland. Girdling can be used to create standing dead wood, or snags. This can provide a valuable habitat for a variety of wildlife, including insects and nesting birds.
Accidental girdling is also possible and some activities must be performed with care. Saplings which are tied to a supporting stake may unintentionally be girdled as they grow, due to friction caused by contact with the tie. If ropes are tied frequently to a tree (e.g. to tether an animal or moor a boat), the friction of the rope can also lead to the removal of bark.
girdle the bases of stems 3-6 inches in diameter, and girdle the roots of larger trees. This often weakens or kills trees.
In the United Kingdom and other parts of Europe, the eastern grey squirrel is also known to girdle or entirely strip bark from trees.
Bucks (male deer) inadvertently girdle trees by rubbing their antlers on trees of various ages.
Agrilus biguttatus can girdle trees through their feeding behavior and create zigzag galleries that measure up to 1.5 meters in length. Girdling is also the effect of the emerald ash borer, a similar debarking beetle that has killed tens of millions of ash trees in the United States.
One of several ways rabbits damage the environment in Australia is by girdling.Australian Encyclopaedia, Vol, VII, Grolier Society, Sydney
Trees can be girdled by climbing, twining, and ground-creeping (rampant) vines. There are several invasive species that harm trees in this way and cause significant damage to forest canopy and the health of ecosystems dependent on it. Oriental Bittersweet, Oriental Wisteria, and Hedera helix all can damage and kill trees by girdling.
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