TSI after bud break?

[KSQ2]

There are a few trees that are a little too alike for a rookie like me to identify without the leaves. So, is it okay to girdle trees after they leaf out? I plan to do some tree removal in the next couple of weeks, but I'm planning to hold off on some of the girdling, if that's kosher. Some of the bigger trees will get girdled because I want them to come down slowly; lack of browse is not an issue for us.

 

[George]

There are a few trees that are a little too alike for a rookie like me to identify without the leaves. So, is it okay to girdle trees after they leaf out? I plan to do some tree removal in the next couple of weeks, but I'm planning to hold off on some of the girdling, if that's kosher. Some of the bigger trees will get girdled because I want them to come down slowly; lack of browse is not an issue for us.

There is no bad/wrong time to girdle trees.

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[George]

Next question- Do I need to apply herbicide?

If you want a tree to die, probably, faster, then perhaps. I generally do not apply herbicide if I might want future stump sprouts. However, I have found double girdle trees to completely die on their own. I did not remove the bark in between my girdles on the below red maple. I girdled this tree last spring. It may still leaf out this year. The wood at the girdle will rot and the tree will most likely fall over before too long.




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[Buckly]

In my experience it doesnt matter when you girdle. Remember to double or triple girdle to be most effective. I found that most girdled trees will tip over in a few years so i reserve girdling for only a few of the biggest trees that are either dangerous to fell or that will just take out too much stuff on the way down. I wouldn’t girdle trees where you might frequent. Herbicide speeds the process. I had a huge red maple probable 36 inch diameter that a triple girdled. It leafed out for 5 or 6 years. Mostly dead after 10 and mostly on the ground at 15. I think herbicide would have helped Anything under like 12 inches I try and fell.

 

[yoderjac]

There are a few trees that are a little too alike for a rookie like me to identify without the leaves. So, is it okay to girdle trees after they leaf out? I plan to do some tree removal in the next couple of weeks, but I'm planning to hold off on some of the girdling, if that's kosher. Some of the bigger trees will get girdled because I want them to come down slowly; lack of browse is not an issue for us.

Actually, a good time to kill a tree is just after leaf-out. The root system expends a lot of energy pushing out those leaves. When you kill them in the spring (girdling, herbicide, whatever), the root system does not get to benefit from energy returned from the leaf system. Therefore, the root system has less energy to put up water sprouts on the stump or root sprouts.

When we did a hardwood clear-cut years back for bedding, we wanted to keep the area in early success. We first waited for the stumps to sprout the following spring. The deer got some benefit from this as these are the "mineral stumps" that MSU deer lab refers to. We then sent in a crew with backpack sprayers to kill the stumps. After everything browned out and dried up, we did a burn that dormant season. This turned the area into broomsedge bluestem with dead stumps. We have been able to use fire every 3 years or so to keep it in early succession.

The same principle of letting them leaf-out applies to killing individual trees.

 

[George]

A tree that was double girdled will rot at the girdle and fall over with more weight and force than a tree that is hacked and squirt. Trees (pictured below) that are H/S will dissolve longer standing and eventually fall over like dead sticks doing little damage to surrounding trees.



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