Theo,
I had not considered girdling, although it would be an option. Working with timber is an entirely new facet of my exposure; I won't make any major moves until I am totally comfortable with not only the decisions, but the ramifications. We got very lucky in securing this little patch at a price that we could afford. It might be my only shot at the duck in my lifetime at a project like this; I can't screw up. Being knee deep in the other projects will make the trees wait awhile; this is OK. When the time does come, I'll invite you to bring over your girdle and we'll see how it looks on a big ol' sycamore. :p
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WRT providing habitat for woodpeckers and owls, we have that covered already. There is a patch of about 4 acres that is predominantly Black Locust. It was planted as 1000 seedlings in 1939 by the previous owner's father as erosion control. It has been allowed to grow in naturally, and appears to have never been managed. There is PLENTY of live and dead trees in this area, and tons of excavated trunk holes. It is WP heaven. We have ample supply of Hairy, Red-bellied, and Downy woodpeckers darting thru the woods and dancing up and down the tree trunks. The whoop of the Pileated WP's echoes all day long....
What I have NOT yet seen (or heard) is an owl, but we have not been there much at dusk, and never during the night.
