City staff have removed some bark from three black cottonwood trees in Beacon Hill Park that were found to have significant internal decay.
A thin strip of bark was removed from around the trunk of each tree in a process called girdling, which restricts the transfer of water and nutrients produced through photosynthesis. Girdling the cottonwood trees is meant to prevent new branches from growing while keeping the trees for wildlife habitat, said city spokesman Bill Eisenhauer. Prior to removing the bark, the trees had severe defects that required significant pruning.
Bark was removed recently from two trees near Douglas Street and Circle Drive. Another nearby was girdled a few years ago.
