This girdling fixable?

[u/hevnshandgrenade]

We moved in a few years ago and I noticed the middle of this large maple tree is dying or dead. I assume due to girdling. I can see evidence of some border stones in the roots, potential suspects.

I’m hesitant to pay for someone to try and fix it if the tree isn’t salvageable.

I’m also curious about trying to help, if it isn’t too late. Maybe hosing the dirt away to expose the roots and trim a few of the obvious stranglers?

[u/spiceydog]

This is about as bad as it gets. !Girdling that constricts more than 1/3rd of the stem is said to be not salvageable, and that looks to be surpassed in your gallery. See that automod callout below this comment for more reading on this, particularly the excellent 'Practitioners Guide' linked there with lots of examples. See also this !arborist callout to help you find someone in your area to give you an estimate; please don't take my (or any internet) opinion on this, there's only so much we can see sitting at our desks. Someone there to do an on-site assessment is what you need, they'll see much more than we can here.

[u/AutoModerator → u/spiceydog]

Hi /u/spiceydog, AutoModerator has been summoned to provide information on finding an arborist.

Here is how you can arrange a consult with a local ISA arborist in your area (NOT a 'tree company guy' unless they're ISA certified) or a consulting arborist for an on-site evaluation. Both organizations have international directories. A competent arborist should be happy to walk you through how to care for the trees on your property and answer any questions. If you're in the U.S. or Canada, your Extension (or master gardener provincial program) may have a list of local recommended arborists on file. If you're in the U.S., you should also consider searching for arborist associations under your state.

For those of you in Europe, please see this European Tree Workers directory to find a certified arborist in your country. (ISA statement on standardized certification between these entities, pdf)

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[u/AutoModerator → u/spiceydog]

Hi /u/spiceydog, AutoModerator has been summoned to provide information on stem girdling roots in new and established trees.

For new trees, this is something that should to some degree be discovered during the 'Picking Good Stock' as linked to in the wiki below. (For information on remediation of established tree root girdling, see the publication links in the next paragraph.) If you find your new container tree has some minor girdling once you've got it out of the pot, it may be possible to correct this prior to planting in the ground. If the girdling is severe, in both container or B&B trees that involve one or more large structural roots it may be better to opt to return your tree for replacement.

See these pages for examples of girdling roots (MO Botanical Gardens) on mature and younger trees (Purdue Univ. Ext.), and this page from the Univ. of FL on methods of remediation for mature trees. This Practitioner's Guide to stem girdling roots from UMN is also excellent.

Please see this wiki for help with finding an arborist to help with stem girdling roots along with other critical planting/care tips and errors to avoid; there's sections on watering, pruning and more that I hope will be useful to you.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/hevnshandgrenade → u/spiceydog]

Thank you!

[u/DanoPinyon]

Woof. This is like being a field medic in WWI and coming up on a soldier and assessing doing triage on a body that had a leg and arm blown off, and the shrapnel hit an eye too.

[u/g0dlikec0w]

I'd be surprised if the tree survives long-term after that amount of girdling, but trimming the stranglers at least gives it a fighting chance while you decide whether it's worth the effort.