A tree can usually survive if less than half its circumference is girdled. Even so, the area with the embedded material is weak and susceptible to breaking.

What happens to a girdled tree?

Girdling means cutting through the outer surface deeply enough to completely sever the cambium around the tree’s entire circumference. … Over time the tree dies from lack of water and/or nutrients. Phloem occurs in the outermost section of the cambium and is severed by a shallower cut than xylem.

Why does a tree die when it is ring barked?

The bark is the outermost portion of the tree which includes the cork, phloem, and cambium. … In simpler terms, ring barking kills trees. The portion above the ringbark dies if the tree does not recover from the wound. It also compromises the immunity of the tree and places it under stress.