Saving Young Apple Trees After Rabbit Bark Damage

Assessing and Managing Girdling Injury on Fruit Trees

Rabbits stripping bark entirely around the trunk (girdling) kills the tissue above the wound. Check for life by scraping bark on upper twigs: green = alive, brown = dead. If the top is dead, the root system will send up sprouts in spring. Select the strongest sprout as the new trunk, remove others. Protect with tree wrap next winter.

Partial Girdling

If bark remains on any portion of the circumference, the tree may survive with careful watering and monitoring. Clean loose bark edges to promote callus formation.