<P> Accidental girdling is also possible and some activities must be performed with care . Saplings which are tied to a supporting stake may be girdled as they grow, due to friction caused by contact with the tie . If ropes are tied frequently to a tree (e.g. to tether an animal or moor a boat), the friction of the rope can also lead to the removal of bark . </P> <P> The practice of girdling has been known in Europe for some time . Another example is the girdling of selective Douglas - fir trees in some Northern California oak woodlands, such as Annadel State Park, in order to prevent that fir from massive invasion of the mixed oak woodland . </P> <P> Girdling can be used to create standing dead wood, or snags . This can provide a valuable habitat for a variety of wildlife, including insects and nesting birds . </P> <P> Girdling is also used as a technique to force a fruit - bearing plant to bear larger fruit . A farmer would place a girdle (bark removal) at base of a large branch or at the trunk . Thus, all sugars manufactured by the leaves have no sinks but the fruit, which grows to above the normal size . For grapes girdling or cincturing is used to make the grapes large and sweeter on the grape canopy and are sold as girdled grapes . Flowering and fruit setting is a problem on some trees; girdling may improve yield in the same way . The "damage" done by girdling restricts the movement of nutrients to the roots, thus the carbohydrates produced in the leaves do not go to the roots for storage . Girdling temporarily stops tree growth . Root pruning, an ancient Asian practice, and other controlled damaging, such as driving nails into the trunk or beating the branches and trunk, produce results that are similar to girdling . Girdling is commonly used on grape, avocado, apple, litchi, mango, citrus and other trees . Girdling is normally only done to healthy trees that did not yield well the previous year . Care must be used not to damage sapwood that may kill the tree or vine . Trees normally heal in four to five weeks after cincturing . Painting the cut can protect against fungus and pests . </P>

Tissue that is removed when the bark of a dicotyledonous plant is ringed