[paul.fr]

Why do some trees have their bark removed, i have heard this enourages new growth and is good for the tree. Is this right? If so how, if not. Why do they do it?

[dentstudent]

Hi Paul - Could you clarify what you mean by this? How and where and on what have you seen this?

The first thing that springs to mind for me is the cork oaks in places like Portugal, where the bark is removed to make (can you guess?). The bark removed here does not affect the cambial layer and so has no effect on the tree. The bark regrows, and is removed on a 12 year cycle. Other trees are tapped for their resin, such as rubber trees and in pines, but the bark is not removed. Then you have spices such as cinnamon, harvested through the removal of branches from a coppice stool.
The removal of the bark in the instances above is neither beneficial nor (if done properly) detrimental to the tree's growth.

[paul.fr]

I saw it ages ago on a survival programme, it was something the "natives" did. That's about all i can recall right now.

[Karen W.]

Around here The Native Americans where I live now.. used to peel the bark of a Casacara tree. It was used as a stool softener but care had to be taken in how it was used. It was a tradition here that my brother carried on as a teenager. They would go strip the trees of outer bark, haul it home in large gunny sacs then it would be laid out on the roof of the barns and carport to begin to dry. When it was cured or dried, they would gather it back up and take it to the local pharmacy where it would be used for medicine. They were always paid well for their product!

[eric l]

Why do some trees have their bark removed, i have heard this enourages new growth and is good for the tree. Is this right? If so how, if not. Why do they do it?

I thought that stripping away a ring of bark round the tree was a way of killing it (harvesting it ?).
With cork oaks, do they remouve all of the bark (all around) or only half of it at a time ?  Or is there an other mechanism here ?

[dentstudent]

The bark is removed all the way around. It's done rather carefully, as if you take the cambium away too, then you do kill the tree. The ringing of trees does kill them, though it doesn't take much cambium to keep them alive. The crown will die back to a level which can be supported by the water and nutrient supply able to pass through what cambium is left.