Girdling Root
This is a current situation lining our driveway right now; it looks as if one tree has decided it's already fall! A few months ago, we realized our middle tree was suffering and slowly dying. At first, we thought it was some type of bug or disease, but the fact that the other two surrounding trees were unaffected, puzzled us. Finally, as the situation worsened we called out a tree expert and our tree was officially diagnosed with a "girdling root". Basically, it is a root that grows around the trunk instead of out into the surrounding soil. As the root and tree trunk both grow in diameter, the root slowly chokes off the flow of water and nutrients to the tree. Girdling roots often happen underground and are such a gradual problem, that it is often too late to save the tree once it is detected. The sly, subtle death that the girdling root is responsible for reminds me of someone else that prowls around like a lion, looking for someone to d