Ringbark

Origin

From ring + bark

Alternative forms

• ring-bark

Full definition of ringbark

Verb

1. To remove the bark from a tree in a ring all the way around its trunk, normally killing the tree (because nutrients are carried through the phloem, the layers immediately under the bark, which layers are damaged by the process).

Usage notes

Ring-bark seems about twice as common as ringbark (without hyphen) in books. Girdling is much more common in the US.