Girdling a large deciduous tree

[someguy1942]

in theory, the girdled trees are now supposed to slowly die then fall apart from the outside in/top down. have most of you found large deciduous girdled trees follow this expected pattern?

[Texas Ranger]

A double band works best on some species, and a squirt of herbicide in the band is positive.

[WV Sawmiller]

   Your description is what I see around here.

[Klunker]

 have girdled large Popple (Aspen) and it seems to take 2 years to kill the tree.

My method now if I want to kill a tree is drill 3/8 holes angled down at approx 45 degrees about 3" apart. Does matter how high above the ground. Fill the holes with apprx. 20% glyphosate. Kills the tree in about 2-4 wks.
Timing is important tho.
July thru Sept. are best. The rest of the year seems more hit or miss. If the sap is rising in the fall or spring it won't work.

[aidan solomon]

Most large deciduous trees do die top-down as expected after girdling, but species like beech or elm may resist longer or sprout below the cut, results vary with cut depth, season, and tree health.