Rabbit damage on my crab...

[mlh]

At least I think it's rabbits... Anyway, it does not look good, but I really have no idea how bad it is and looking for some advice. Take a look at the pictures. It is not all the way around, but it is significant damage. I now have some drain pipe surrounding the trunk to prevent further damage, but wondering what you guys think of the chances of the tree surviving?

View attachment 42494

View attachment 42495

 

[gumneck]

How about the back of the tree which can't be seen via the pics. Has it been chewed on too? If not, I'd say paint it with 50/50 white latex/water mix and it should heal up. But, IMO the damage will have an adverse effect in the long term prospects for the tree's survival.

 

[(WLL)]

a tree will not heal it self

it looks really bad. and the tree does not look like a crab but more like a cherry
paint will do nothing but trap moisture in and that is bad. covering the trunk will make a nice little home 4 bugs. u can go to a good store and buy concentrated lion piss and mark the area as his and the critter will stay away. u can also trap the villain and have him relocated to a better home. i think the tree is a goner but u wont know until later. if the tree does survive in a few yrs it will look like ****. what a bummer

 

[M.D. Vaden]

Did they make it through the green cambium / phloem area into the wood?

If so, that's not good.

If not, you may have a chance.

The bark color and branching looks like some crabapple I've seen.

 

[Kneejerk Bombas]

It might be time to explore bridge grafting.
Can you seek out a master gardener, or better yet, an orchard operator? You might get lucky with the latter because its a slow time of year, other than the winter pruning. They will have knowledge of grafting.
The idea is to cut some one year old wood off the tips of the branches and attach them below the injury, have them run up and over, and then re-attach above the injury.
This will take skill with grafting tools, grafting wax, and timing of the graft.
If you have the tools and know what you're doing, it's a fifteen minute job.