Girlding?

[SD51555]

I don't understand the point of girdling trees. Why would someone want a large tree to stand dead? That seems like a safety hazard and risky in general. I'd rather get it down and clean it up. What am I missing?

 

[BenA]

The snags provide great habitat for some wildlife. Another reason is, if you wanted to kill a bunch of trees in an area without putting too much clutter on the ground. They'll die slowly over time, and come down in smaller pieces.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I don't understand the point of girdling trees. Why would someone want a large tree to stand dead? That seems like a safety hazard and risky in general. I'd rather get it down and clean it up. What am I missing?

I girdle trees every now and then. Ideally yes...I would prefer to drop a tree, buck it up, clean up the mess. But often in my TSI I will girdle a massive and generally useless tree where I want to let light in, but don't want to spend time cleaning up the mess.

For example, I have hundreds of massive spruce trees on my property. Dealing with them once on the ground is a pain in the ass. I don't need it for the sugar house or my home. It's too far away from a useful landing to skid out and sell. I'll just girdle them and them to allow sunlight on the floor. Same with poplars. Crap firewood. Useless tree to me generally. I do prefer to drop them and let them lay to create aspen regen, but every now and then I'll girdle one because it's too big or I don't want the mess.

Dangerous? Of all the things I do out in the woods that could bring me harm, getting whacked by a falling branch from a girdled tree is way down on the list of my concerns.

 

[Teeder]

Same here. Trees too big to deal with and have no firewood value get girdled. Eventually, I hope they provide nesting cavities for critters.
I girdled some large yellow (tulip) poplar to release my red & black oaks. They probably would have damaged more than helped if I dropped them.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

I prefer to drop the trees, but I’ll girdle them if they are leaning in a direction that will get them hung up if I tried cutting them down.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

The only trees I've girdled were white birch trees that I planned to cut down later in the year, or the next year. All of them died and fell over before I got a chance. Only did those because I was standing there. Otherwise girdling seems like too much work, so I just keep on with the hack and squirt.

 

[omicron1792]

Check out injuries from falling girdled trees vs injuries sustained cutting down a tree.

One is waaaay more dangerous than the other.

 

[T-Max]

I do it for the woodpeckers.


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[Feelslikefar.]

I hate woodpeckers. I'd blame it on cartoons but it's more than that.

 

[PoorSand]

I've been told that firewood dries quicker and more evenly while standing up than it does while lying on the ground. I don't burn wood. That's just what a guy told me.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

I've heard that as well. People do it so when they cut it, it's ready to burn. Got to be harder to cut though too I'd imagine, no?

 

[Teeder]

I've heard that as well. People do it so when they cut it, it's ready to burn. Got to be harder to cut though too I'd imagine, no?

Definitely harder, plus then you're dropping them with dead limbs. Doesn't sound like a good way to do it. I don't leave my wood laying on the ground.

 

[Ruffdude]

I’ve a couple trees to girdle this Winter. They are growing next to wild apple trees and I don’t want the apple to get blasted with sunlight when it has been used to growing in the shade of the tree next to it. Girdling offers a slow ease into it method of exposing that fruit tree to full sun. It just takes a couple years.

 

[b116757]

Generally I cut them down because I use the wood only hack and squirting 6” and under size trees. I did girdle a very large hickory a couple years ago because it wasn’t going to be easy to get it on the ground without destroying a neighboring tree that I wished to keep and it was across a small creek at the base of a steep hill making getting a machine to it very difficult even if I had managed to put it on the ground without de-limbing or knocking over my oak or walnut I wished to crown release. So I girdled it.

 

[Natty Bumppo]

I've been told that firewood dries quicker and more evenly while standing up than it does while lying on the ground. I don't burn wood. That's just what a guy told me.

A tree will certainly dry while standing. But then when you drop it the branches are more prone to shattering dangerously...ash especially. Also, bucking up dry wood is tougher. When I drop trees for firewood they are not left on the ground at all. You get them out of the woods and bucked up and split and stacked for drying. But certainly a tree left to lay on the ground will not dry well and is prone to rotting.

 

[ruskbucks]

I girdle black locust and boxelder at my places. If you just cut them off they will shoot up root sprouts and stump sprouts. Girdle them and this eliminates the sprouts with no use of chemicals. Usually by the second year they are dead.

 

[Feelslikefar.]

A tree will certainly dry while standing. But then when you drop it the branches are more prone to shattering dangerously...

I dunno, all the branches falling off into pieces might be nice, depending what your reason for cutting them down is. lol
Dealing with the branches is the part I hate the most, of course I'm cutting them down to have them gone, not for firewood.

 

[Mike]

I want to create bedding at the back of my cousin's property that is mostly mature sugar maple. These are mature trees and cutting them down would be tons of work. Thinking of girdling aggressively the back 3-5 acres. Guessing making two rings to a depth of half inch around trunk will do the job? Have never tried but have cut down enough trees to know that its a lot of work. If I do this sometime this winter can I expect the trees to die this next growing season? Do they send up new sprouts from the roots? Very interested in trying this.

 

[Ben.MN/WI]

Check out injuries from falling girdled trees vs injuries sustained cutting down a tree.

One is waaaay more dangerous

I want to create bedding at the back of my cousin's property that is mostly mature sugar maple. These are mature trees and cutting them down would be tons of work. Thinking of girdling aggressively the back 3-5 acres. Guessing making two rings to a depth of half inch around trunk will do the job? Have never tried but have cut down enough trees to know that its a lot of work. If I do this sometime this winter can I expect the trees to die this next growing season? Do they send up new sprouts from the roots? Very interested in trying this.

I'd recommend just cutting the trees down if you want instant bedding. You want those tree tops on the ground so the deer can feel safe and protected without staring at every other deer bedding in that area. If you just girdle the trees, you will be waiting for increased sunlight to stimulate growth on the forest floor, which can take years to get good. If you drop 50 big trees, it becomes a bedding area overnight.

If the trees are large, tall and straight, I would consider having a logger look at that area. In that case, you might make a little money and have a professional do all the work. Just have him leave the tops where they fall. I logged my woods a few years ago and it dramatically increased the number of deer bedding there.

 

[omicron1792]

I want to create bedding at the back of my cousin's property that is mostly mature sugar maple. These are mature trees and cutting them down would be tons of work. Thinking of girdling aggressively the back 3-5 acres. Guessing making two rings to a depth of half inch around trunk will do the job? Have never tried but have cut down enough trees to know that its a lot of work. If I do this sometime this winter can I expect the trees to die this next growing season? Do they send up new sprouts from the roots? Very interested in trying this.

I would single girdle with a small electric chainsaw. Then spray the girdle with Craig Harper’s cocktail