Trees can suffer from a lot of things. There can be bark or root damage, fungal damage, as well as permanent wounds that eat up the tree from the inside. Here is everything you need to know about tree bark damage, its causes, and how to repair it. If the damage is extensive, you may need the help of tree removal services for felling the tree.

Can Trees Recover From Bark Damage?

Shortly, yes, but it all depends on the type of damage inflicted on the tree and the extent of the damage. Usually, tree bark is able to protect itself from minute external factors and agents, but at other times, it is just impossible. This is why you need to keep a close eye on the tree to ensure that it is not falling victim to irreversible damage.

Bark is like the skin of the tree. As humans are protected by a layer of skin, so are trees, and small scratches and bruises are the norm and not too worrisome. However, the bigger and deeper wounds are what you want to be concerned about, because those can pack a pretty mean punch.

Causes Of Tree Bark Damage

Before you can dive into how you can treat the tree bark damage, you should know why it is caused in the first place.

Tree Wounds

This one goes without saying, but one of the main reasons for bark damage is none other than tree wounds. Tree wounds are exactly what they sound like. They’re gaping wounds in the tree bark or even the trunk, and if they get deep and darker, then the wound will make the tree’s health decline like nothing else.

Tree wounds can normally be left unnoticed, but they are really dangerous and you need to get to the bottom of the problem before the wound does any more damage to the tree, which could be irreversible.

Fungal Infection

Fungus can latch onto the trees like a leech and this is something that is common in humid and closed environments. If the trees are in a marshy land and there is not a lot of ventilation, then fungal infections won’t be far away.

This is why you want to check for white or powdery mildew on the leaves or even the bark, because these are the most common places where fungus can thrive, multiply, and spread to important parts of the trees. You will also see the bark peeling and that is not a good sign either.

Weather Damage

Whether it be storms or strong winds, trees are always at risk of getting damaged and the first part of the tree that is most exposed to these agents is the bark. Floods, falling of the trees, and even things colliding with the trees may seem harmless, but once the storm passes and you see the damage, that’s when you know that it’s bad and things need to be taken care of.

This is why you want to keep your eyes peeled for any noticeable damage in the tree, because it might lead to bark damage and you don’t want that. Moreover, you can also reduce storm damage by inspecting and taking care of the problems before an expected storm.

Poor Health

In general, older and weary trees are incapable of taking care of themselves. Think of the tree’s health as your body. As you get older, your ability to fight against diseases decreases and you are more susceptible to suffering from disorders. This can also happen to the trees.

Older trees have weaker bark and are more prone to damage than younger and healthier trees. Due to this, they might become hazardous trees. So, you want to pay extra attention to the old trees, because they need that TLC if you want their bark to be damage-free.

How To Repair Tree Bark Damage?

Now that you know all of the basics of tree damage, here is everything you can do to save the tree bark from worsening even more. You can also hire arborist services Kensington for repair.

Check For Tree Wounds

The first thing is preventative, more than anything, and that is to check your tree for wounds. The surface of the wound will be visible from the bark and that is what you want to look for. You want to check for any unusual holes in the bark of the tree and if you see some, then it’s time to act.

You don’t want the bark to just stay like this. You need to treat the wound as you would a regular one and that is exactly what will save the tree from bark damage in the future.

Clean The Wounds

Speaking of wounds, the next thing you want to do is clean the wounds. The wounds can either be dry or they can also have some sort of liquid seeping out of them. This is common and if that is the case, then you want to take a cotton round and clean the wound.

Then, you want to use chemicals that will treat the wound and then you want to dress the wound, so that nothing from the outside can go in. It is literally like treating a normal wound on the human body and this is how you will prevent the bark damage from worsening.

Remove Wounded Bark

You can also remove the damaged or wounded bark of the tree. This is easy to do and all you need for this is a sharp tool that you can use to easily scrape off the wounded and dead bark. This is good because you want to prevent the damage from penetrating and that is only possible when you remove all of the gunk from the tree and leave it healthy and thriving.

You can go around the tree bark and trunk and look for localized damage spots and then remove them with a sharp knife by scraping them off.

Bark Bridging

Bark bridging, also known as bridge graft, is an easy way to ensure that your tree doesn’t succumb to the bark damage and this is something that a lot of people do to localize the damage and help the tree heal on its own.

All you need to do is get a healthy twig of another tree and connect it to the two ends of the bark damage – the beginning and the end. What this does is divert the damage from the wounded tree and it allows nutrients from the healthy tree to travel from the roots to the bark of the infected tree, restoring its health and increasing its chance of survival.

Call A Professional

Sometimes, even bark damage can get out of hand, which is why you don’t want to sit around and try DIY hacks by yourself. This is the time when a professional is needed.

A tree professional will know exactly what to do and timely measures will ensure that the tree will survive. This is why it’s better to call a tree professional when the damage has passed the point of no return.

Conclusion

Bark damage is really common in trees, but that doesn’t mean that you can’t fix it. The tree can recover as long as you detect it in time and treat it. However, if the damage is beyond repair, call in emergency tree services Chevy Chase for tree removal.