A tree with eroded bark raises questions. How harmful is browsing by wildlife for the tree? Can the tree even be saved? How can you prevent bark from being eaten away? Read the answers here.
What to do if tree bark is eaten away?
On partially eroded tree bark, cut the edges of the wound smooth and apply awound closure agentso that callus can overflow the gap in the bark. An older tree with ringed bark may beaBypass save. Young trees with bark eaten away all around die.
How harmful is eroded bark for a tree?
The amount of tree bark eaten away determines the degree of damage to the tree. Individualgnawed pieces of barkare covered by a layer of callusFresh cambium tissue forms above the isolation line. Subsequently, cambium forms young wood on the inside and new bark on the outside. Irreversible damagea tree suffers when its bark is eaten away all around. Ringeln interrupts the flow of sap in the tree trunk and the tree dies. When tree bark is ringed, the self-healing powers fail because neither callus nor cambium forms.
What to do if a tree is bitten by a game?
Partially eroded tree bark can be repaired with aWound Treatment. Trim the edges of the wound smoothly with a sharp knife. Then coat the edges with wound closure so that callus can overflow the injury.
Ringed bark leaves ayoung treelittle chance of survival. You shouldreplace itOlder trees with bark that has been gnawed away all around can possibly get through with abypass. For this purpose, graft water shoots to bridge the gap. Then apply a thick layer of clay and wrap the tree trunk with jute.
How to prevent tree bark from being eaten away?
The best prevention against game browsing on trees is atrunk protector. These options have proven to work well in practice to protect a tree trunk:
- Put a sleeve around the trunk of young trees.
- Wrap thick tree trunks with jute or close-meshed rabbit wire.
- Plant hawthorn, barberry or firethorn on the tree disc.
- Coat the trunk with manure or nettle manure as a deterrent.
Tip
Bite marks reveal the culprit
Causes of game browsing can often be identified by the bite pattern. A prime example are traces of mice eating apple trees. The small rodents eat away the tree bark all around and leave 1 mm wide, parallel furrows with their sharp teeth. This gnawing pattern makes it easy to distinguish ground voles and bank voles from deer, which also like to graze a tree trunk. Mouse droppings lying on the tree trunk dispel any remaining doubts.
