Summary Girdling is often used as an experimental method to study source/sink controls of cambial growth. However, the phloem responses to girdling have not been well investigated. The aim of this research was to characterize the anatomical changes in the phloem and xylem of different species following trunk girdling. Different species of gymnosperm (Abies sibirica, Pinus sylvestris) and angiosperm (Alnus incana, Populus tremula) woody plants were selected. We girdled trunks during active growth and sampled tissues at two levels (1 cm and 35 cm) above the girdle at the end of the growing season. General responses to girdling were recorded for the studied species, such as increased phloem increments, parenchymatization of conducting tissues, reduction in the size of conducting elements, and an increase in the size of axial parenchyma cells in the phloem and xylem. We observed the suppression of xylogenesis in 3 out of 4 species. Differences in the structure of conducting tissues were found, which are due to species differences in the initial tissue structure. In gymnosperms, noticeable differences in the number of resin ducts in the xylem were observed between control and girdled trees. In angiosperms, we found the formation of cells with thickened cell walls in girdled trees (i.e., the formation of phloem and xylem fibers with thickened cell walls in aspen and sclereids in the phloem of alder). Based on the literature data, the observed responses may be due to both the wounding effect and the influence of the high sugar content above the girdle.