How can I kill a 20 foot tree before I cut it up for firewood?
Answers:
I'd think that cutting it down before killing it is the easier way. If you attempt to kill it over a period of time you risk having the tree fall down by itself possibly on nearby structures or damaging other trees or shrubs in it's path.
If you have decided to kill it before cutting then you could remove as many limbs & leaves as you can & also expose many of it's shallow roots. Most feeder roots are in the top 6-12 inches of soil. Or you could spray the leaves with weed & brush killer & wait. Also if you damage the bark on the trunk, you would be opening an area for insects to enter & do damage.
Another option would be to wait until fall when the tree is dormant, remove the limbs first & then cut the tree down.
Other answers:
use something to rip a lot of its bark off.It should kill the tree
use something to rip a lot of its bark off.It should kill the tree
Now why would you want to do that?
Tree killler!!!!!!!!!
drive spikes into the trunk-if you can wait
cut it down first ,
then you can buy chemicals
(check local hardware store)
to use on stump that will kill
tree down thru root system.
I guess I don't know why you wanna kill it first, just cut the damn thing down.
You can kill any tree by cutting a ring around the bark.
It discontinues the path of nutrients that flow from the roots to the branches. (I thought everybody knew this)
Be more specific are you trying to be sneaky about it? Why kill it first. Is this like a hunt for you? Foxes are to quick? Bears to scary? Does the tree avoid the trap? Watch them in the wind, they can really sway you!
Just cut the tree down, it's not going to fight back any less if it's dead already. In fact it does not even scream less contrary to popular belief. A great way to kill a tree is in fact to cut it down. If the tree is larger than 50' tall though I would pay a professional to cut it down for you. Even professionals die cutting trees down.
Peace, SSSSpaceman SSSpliff
It would take too long. Cut it up and I promise it will be dead and ready to burn by at least mid-winter. Keep it covered so it wont get wet and this heat should help season it out. M.