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Post by Muab Dib on Aug 3, 2018 6:05:45 GMT -5
Been given the go-ahead to try and kill some of the larger (6"-8") birch that took over a cut ten years back. Black as night in there now from the over-story and the floor is barren with the exception of a few ferns. Anyone here ever girdled a tree?. How long does it take to kill the tree, and if I do it now will there be leaves on them next year?
Muab
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Post by gramps on Aug 3, 2018 6:19:34 GMT -5
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Post by fleroo on Aug 3, 2018 6:30:13 GMT -5
I was a Diesel-Fit-'Er for bra's. No experience in the girdle arena. Well... sorta no experience.
Get a chainsaw. You won't need a big one for a 6-8" dia tree. Cut into and through the cambium layer. Say an inch or thereabouts. That outside layer feeds the tree. Cut all the way around. Dead tree from there up.
BUT, some tress with still send out shoots from below that girdle, cuz the tree is still alive at the roots. Ailanthus are prolific at doing this.
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Post by fleroo on Aug 3, 2018 6:31:21 GMT -5
My guess. You'll get a post from Dutch, telling you to hack-n-squirt them when the juice is flowing to the roots. THAT's probably the bestester method.
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Deleted Member
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Post by Deleted on Aug 3, 2018 9:27:13 GMT -5
"Prescribe" burn that area Dib with a hot fire. Too much to do a bunch of girdling.
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Post by fleroo on Aug 3, 2018 9:36:30 GMT -5
There was no mention of how large an area he's talking, or an estimate on how many trees ? But, I can girdle a shart-load of 6" trees with even a smallish chainsaw , say 14"-16" saw, in a matter of a few minutes. A bit of multiplicity in adding a few guys with saws, and VOILA !
"Prescribed Burn" ? In this day and age ? Hell, it takes an act of God, and perfect timing, for professionals to do prescribed burns now. What happens when he burns Michaux to the ground ? LOL
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Post by fleroo on Aug 3, 2018 9:40:43 GMT -5
Something else to think about. Hundreds of standing dead trees, no matter the method of death, can be dangeroso. I wouldn't want to be amongst them on a heavy wind type of day. Take them to the ground and spray the stumps maybe.
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Post by Muab Dib on Aug 3, 2018 9:58:58 GMT -5
"Prescribe" burn that area Dib with a hot fire. Too much to do a bunch of girdling. Todd, my "DCNR source" says there isn't any money to go in and fix their failed cut...they got the money for their oak and now they don't give a damn about what they've produced. They did burn on the far edge of the ridge about two years ago in the fenced-in area but it had little impact. I did see the hack and squirt method on Youtube... looks too easy, but everyone says it works. I just want to get some sun in there and maybe get a little forest floor growth going. Muab |
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Post by davet on Aug 3, 2018 10:24:56 GMT -5
Hire man with bulldozer. Push 'em over? Instant cover for deer.
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Post by fleroo on Aug 3, 2018 11:08:20 GMT -5
'
Right. But as I mentioned, you want to do it when the sap is running DOWN to the roots... else everything below the "hack" should still be alive, and potentially resprout. DOWN should be summertime. But you may want to confirm that.
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Post by bake545 on Aug 3, 2018 11:10:03 GMT -5
Tordon RTU works great for hack and squirt and isn't real expensive. When you girdle a tree it might not die for a while and depending on the species it could just grow back from the stump. If you want the birch dead then hack and squirt all day.
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Post by whitefalcon on Aug 3, 2018 11:11:47 GMT -5
Cut all the bark off around the tree. About a 6" tall strip.
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Post by Muab Dib on Aug 3, 2018 11:31:10 GMT -5
Tordon RTU works great for hack and squirt and isn't real expensive. When you girdle a tree it might not die for a while and depending on the species it could just grow back from the stump. If you want the birch dead then hack and squirt all day. Think this is what I'll try... Hack and squirt with this stuff. Thanks all. Muab |
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Post by Dutch on Aug 3, 2018 15:31:45 GMT -5
"Prescribe" burn that area Dib with a hot fire. Too much to do a bunch of girdling. Todd, my "DCNR source" says there isn't any money to go in and fix their failed cut...they got the money for their oak and now they don't give a damn about what they've produced. They did burn on the far edge of the ridge about two years ago in the fenced-in area but it had little impact. I did see the hack and squirt method on Youtube... looks too easy, but everyone says it works. I just want to get some sun in there and maybe get a little forest floor growth going. Muab It works. We do drill and kill, with a cordless dril tho. We use 41 percent glyphosate. |
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Post by davet on Aug 4, 2018 15:08:51 GMT -5
I don't know the size of the trees, but when I had some smaller one's on my property that I wanted to get rid of, I took my electric drill and anywhere from a 1/2" long drill bit or larger, drilled into the base of the tree, and then filled the hole up with weed killer......non-diluted. Results were obvious in a week and the tree died.
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Post by Muab Dib on Aug 4, 2018 16:59:16 GMT -5
These birch trees run anywhere from 2-3" diameter (which I'll just take down with a saw) to maybe 6-8". Found Tordon RTU at my local Tractor Supply so I guess that's the game plan. Hack and Squirt! Or if you want to be Dutch and go "high tec" ... Drill and Kill...  Thanks all... Muab |
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Post by zimmerstutzen on Aug 23, 2018 19:32:33 GMT -5
I cut a 10 inch cherry limb off a tree along my driveway in April 2017. Just left it lay for the time being. It actually sprouted leaves this past spring and got cherries on the lopped off limb. Granted the leaves were not as full as the rest of the tree that was intact, but geesh. As far as the birches go, lop em off about 3 ft high. in a couple years the stumps' roots will be rotted and you can just push the stumps over.
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Post by redarrow on Aug 24, 2018 4:40:54 GMT -5
Sounds like the ferns should be killed while he's at it. I killed a bunch of ferns on my place a few years ago and it has made a huge difference in the regeneration of oak seedlings.
BTW, you may want to drop the trees for firewood. It's a pretty decent wood for burning and it smelld great when cutting and splitting it.
I still have a few hundred boardfeet of birch lumber stored. When it's stained it looks a lot like mahogany. And it's easier to work than maple.
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