What to Do When Your Tree Has Damaged Bark

Your tree’s bark is its protective armor, shielding its delicate inner tissues from pests, diseases, harsh weather conditions, and other environmental threats. When it’s damaged, your tree’s health is at risk. From accidental damage to the ravages of nature, bark injuries can leave you wondering what to do next.

In this article, we’ll explore the common causes of damaged bark in South Shore, Massachusetts, and provide expert advice on how to assess and treat these wounds to ensure your tree’s long-term health.

Key Takeaways

• Natural wounds on trees can occur from storms, fires, birds, and fungi.
• Human-caused bark wounds can come from lawnmowers, vehicle accidents, and construction equipment.
• Bark serves as a protection for the phloem of the tree, the part responsible for transporting food throughout the tree.
• Trees can naturally recover from losing 25 percent of the bark around the trunk; arborists do not generally suggest using wound dressings or paint.
• To help a tree recover, consider performing bark tracing, watering the tree, placing mulch around the base, fertilizing if needed, and pruning deadwood.

What Causes Damaged Bark?

Tree bark typically ends up damaged from two main sources: human-caused injuries and natural wounds that occur from elements outside of our control.

Woodpecker activity can lead to damaged bark and an unhealthy tree.

Natural Wounds

The variety of ways your tree’s bark can naturally become damaged is as varied as nature itself. Some common natural ways tree bark becomes damaged includes:

• Storms: Storm damage from lightning, wind, and flying debris can damage large sections of bark.
• Fires: Fires can inflict severe damage on a tree’s bark, often leaving scars that remain long after the flames are extinguished, even if the tree survives.
• Bird and Animal Damage: Birds and animals may damage the bark in search of food.
• Broken Branches: Broken branches can tear away large sections of bark, leaving the tree vulnerable to infection and decay.
• Fungus and Insects: Fungal growth and insect infestations can attack bark and cause it to peel off.

Human-Caused Wounds

Unfortunately for trees, humans pose just as much risk to their bark as natural disasters do. Some common ways people damage tree bark includes:

• Lawnmowers and String Trimmers: Mowers may run over exposed roots and damage them. String trimmers can also damage bark when a person accidentally brings the trimmer too close.
• Vehicle Accidents: While working in their yard, a South Shore homeowner may accidentally back their vehicle into a tree and damage a large section of the bark.
• Construction Equipment: Construction equipment is large and unwieldy and can easily damage bark if the operator isn’t careful.

The Danger of Damaged Tree Bark

Bark is like a person’s skin or a suit of armor; it protects the inner portions of the tree from damage. When a tree’s outer bark is damaged, it exposes the inner bark (also known as the phloem) and the cambium cell layer.

These exposed areas become highly vulnerable to further damage, including infection and decay. Damage to the phloem, a vital tissue responsible for transporting nutrients throughout the tree, can severely impair its health and growth.

While every tree is different, arborists generally agree that trees can often recover from bark damage affecting less than 25% of the trunk’s circumference

If the damage extends between 25% and 50% of the trunk’s circumference, the tree’s survival is uncertain, but it may still be manageable. However, any damage exceeding 50% of the bark’s circumference is likely fatal, posing a serious risk to your property and family.

PRO TIP: Want to ensure your trees are safe and aren’t putting you in imminent danger? A tree risk assessment can help you determine the safety of your trees. Learn more about the process in our previous article on tree risk assessments.

A tree with bark damage from the heat of a suspended lantern. Photo courtesy of Joseph OBrien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org.

Treating a Tree’s Wounds

This leads us to the million-dollar question among homeowners on the South Shore: Should you treat a tree’s wounds when it has suffered significant bark damage? The short answer is no.

While there was a time when arborists believed in covering the wound to help it recover, this is no longer considered standard operating procedure by tree care professionals. Instead, efforts should be made to allow a tree to heal the damage naturally while doing what you can to help it along the way.

A Tree’s Natural Recovery Process

Much like how our body develops calluses and clots blood to protect us from injuries, so too do trees. Trees develop callus tissue over areas where the outer bark has been damaged. The tree will also attempt to compartmentalize the damage so it cannot harm the rest of the tree. Different tree species will develop callus tissue and heal at different rates.

What to Do for Your Trees After They’ve Been Damaged

While you shouldn’t apply a wound dressing to your tree, there are things you can do to help your tree along its path to recovery. Some of the things we recommend you do for your trees include:

• Bark Tracing: Bark tracing involves carefully taking a sharp razor knife and removing damaged bark around the wounded area. By taking it back to the undamaged bark, you can speed up the healing process. Use extreme caution when performing bark tracing, as you don’t want to remove any healthy and attached bark in the process.
• Provide Supplemental Water: If your tree isn’t receiving adequate rainfall, supplemental watering is crucial. A stressed tree, particularly one suffering from underwatering, will struggle to recover from injuries as efficiently.
• Mulch and Fertilize: Conduct a soil test to see if the ground lacks nutrients. A tree will use those nutrients to generate energy to recover from the damage, and fertilizer can provide a quick boost. You can also place mulch around your tree to lower stress and provide organic matter that will decompose and add nutrients back into the soil.
• Prune Deadwood: If a storm damages the tree’s bark, there may be other damage in the canopy. If there are dead and damaged branches, have a professional prune them to avoid them breaking and tearing off more bark.
• Schedule an Arborist Assessment: An ISA Certified Arborist can provide a more in-depth examination of your trees and offer an unbiased view of the chances of your tree’s survival. They may suggest removal if it is too far gone or other techniques to potentially save it.

Top Notch Tree Can Help Your Trees with Damaged Bark

Don’t let bark damage spell doom for your trees. While minor injuries can often heal, severe damage may require professional intervention.

Our ISA Certified Arborist at Top Notch Tree can assess your tree’s condition and provide expert advice. Whether it’s recommending proper care or suggesting tree removal, we’re here to help you make informed decisions for your tree’s health and safety. Call us today at 781-871-8008 or request an estimate online.