permaculture

[Mikal Jakubal <mjakubal@asis.com>]

Hi all, 
Thanks for the replies to my post a couple days ago. There's something I
need some immediate advice on and maybe someone out there can help. I live
across the street from this family of ignorant, violent, evil cretins
(comparisons to some of the characters in the movie "Deliverance" come up
frequently). They more or less leave me alone now (after three years of
harassment), but occasionally get bored and start in again. The short of it
is that one of the wretched little monsters girdled my old apple tree
yesterday--apparently as revenge for me telling him not to climb the fence
and break the branches. It's the only mature producing tree on the place.
The girdling is at least 3/4 complete and about 6"-8" wide (done with a
hatchet). Any first-aid suggestions? I've heard of grafting twigs from the
tree across such wounds--will that work this time of year? There's still
some continuous bark left, so the tree probably won't die--just yet--but
will be seriously weakened. 

Thanks,
Mikal