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Why Girdling a Tree Branch Kills It

The Critical Cambium Layer

Removing a ring of bark severs the cambium—the living layer that transports water and nutrients. Bark protects this layer. Once the cambium is cut all around, the branch or tree dies because roots can't supply the canopy. Exposed cambium also invites insects and disease.

Trees: Ash Tree Basal Decay: Irreversible Heartwood Rot on West Side; Locust Tree Bark Splitting and Dead Branches: Heat, Drought, and Proper Pruning; Bark Stripped Off Post Oak by Kids: Will the Tree Survive?; Magnolia Bark Splits: Normal Sloughing, No Treatment; Hackberry Bark Splitting, Powder & Ants: Heart Rot & Insects; Coral Bark Maple Losing Bark: Sunscald, Borers, or Natural Exfoliation?; Maple Bark Peeling: Decay Fungi and Borer Prevention; Borers in Dying Willow: Wire Probing and Systemic Insecticide; Tree Bark Damage from Animals: Assessment and Recovery; Lawn Mower Damage to Young Maple: Wound Care Steps

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