How much to cut on apple tree damage??

[ethoswarrior]

Hi everyone, first time poster. Thanks in advance for any assistance!

I had some rabbit damage last night to the bark on one of our 4 year old apple trees. I've read this forum and other sources to know that the best thing to do is to cut the bark and leave a clean edge for the tree to heal. However, I'm not sure how much bark to cut based on the damage that was done. Please see the attached picture: should I cut all the way around this shredded bark, or leave it as is?

IMG957361

• ethoswarrior
• Jul 11, 2019

 

[Saiso]

I think if you remove healthy and live bark, it'll probably harm the tree more than do good. If you can remove the loose and dead bark without much resistance, then that should be fine. I don't normally remove bark too often as it creates bigger openings for insects/diseases.

Good luck!

 

[Raintree]

Wait for the callus tissue to form, then your tree will tell you what is dead & loose.

 

[ethoswarrior]

I think if you remove healthy and live bark, it'll probably harm the tree more than do good. If you can remove the loose and dead bark without much resistance, then that should be fine. I don't normally remove bark too often as it creates bigger openings for insects/diseases.

Good luck!

Thank you! I was thinking I would just wait b/c I couldn't tell was what still healthy and functioning versus not... There's no loose bark, but the bunnies got through the first layer. Wasn't sure if that damaged the ability of what bark was left to keep the tree health.

 

[ethoswarrior]

Wait for the callus tissue to form, then your tree will tell you what is dead & loose.

Thanks for your reply. I agree, I will wait to see what develops.

 

[Saiso]

Thank you! I was thinking I would just wait b/c I couldn't tell was what still healthy and functioning versus not... There's no loose bark, but the bunnies got through the first layer. Wasn't sure if that damaged the ability of what bark was left to keep the tree health.

Yeah, trees are very resilient. Sit back and enjoy the show. The tree may produce less or no apples for a while until it takes care of the wound(s).