Trying to prepare Live Oak for a frost - ideas?

[Collin]

I have a live oak that is around 16 inches diameter trunk. I live in the Texas panhandle, and there have been two winters in which we have had a spring freeze sufficient enough to severely damage the bark about 12 inches from the ground, leaving about half of the circumference bald and it is slowly regenerating bark.

As of today, we haven't had a hard freeze in several weeks, but this week it will begin getting down into the mid 30s at night, and then Thursday and Friday it is expected to dip down into the 27-28 degree range. Obviously I'm worried that my tree has awakened for spring too soon and I am concerned about a freeze of this level damaging it again.

Questions:

1. Is a freeze this level and in these circumstances a threat to the tree?
2. If so, are there preventative measures? Mulching the trunk heavily, wrapping the bark with an electric blanket, etc. I also have a 215,000 BTU forced air heater that I could place somewhere near the tree to raise the immediate area temperature a few degrees if necessary.

Thank you in advance for any help!

 

[deercatcher]

I have tried to keep pears from freezing. I once strung a line between 2 taller sweet gums and draped a large tarp over the lines, pulled over top of pear tree and roped out the corners. Draped nicely; like a huge tent. Then I built a fire in a wheel barrow tray. Don't know if you have ways and means of tarping the tree, but dead air is good insulation. Tarp wrapped around trunk as high as possible, or tee pee style with poles and a heat source. My deck plants in pots I tug against the rear windows and tarp against the house. A wood stove is in the room with the windows. We had 10% damage to our live oaks in 1986 with December cold below freezing for 5 days, lows single digits. It was early, they weren't ready for the cold yet. Late freezes same problem.