Girdling is defined as:

Girdling is defined as:

• A. The process of pruning the tips
• B. The process of cutting away a ring of inner and outer bark all the way around a tree trunk
• C. A method of root pruning
• D. A term for water management technique

Answer: (B)

Girdling is removing a complete ring of bark around a tree trunk, cutting through both the inner and outer bark all the way around. That full circumferential ring interrupts the phloem, which carries sugars from the leaves to the roots, so the tree can be weakened or killed if the girdle remains. This makes the definition match removing a continuous ring around the trunk. The other actions are different: pruning tips trims growth at the ends of branches, not a ring around the trunk; root pruning targets the roots rather than the trunk bark; and a water-management technique deals with moisture, not bark removal.

Girdling is removing a complete ring of bark around a tree trunk, cutting through both the inner and outer bark all the way around. That full circumferential ring interrupts the phloem, which carries sugars from the leaves to the roots, so the tree can be weakened or killed if the girdle remains. This makes the definition match removing a continuous ring around the trunk. The other actions are different: pruning tips trims growth at the ends of branches, not a ring around the trunk; root pruning targets the roots rather than the trunk bark; and a water-management technique deals with moisture, not bark removal.