Girdling a tree’s cambium ring slowly starves the crown above
Just under the bark, a thin cambium makes new phloem and xylem each year. Cut a complete ring through that living layer — girdling — and sugars from the leaves can no longer reach the roots.
Roots eventually fail, water transport collapses, and the crown dies even if the heartwood still stands. Wildlife managers sometimes use girdling to create snags without felling.
A tree’s life hangs on a millimeter-scale factory. Break the ring and you disconnect the solar panels upstairs from the pumps below.
Comments
0 comments