How to Repair Damaged Tree Bark

Damaging bark can make the tree vulnerable to infection.

Severe weather, animals and insects can disable trees and even cause their demise. When the bark is damaged, the phloem layer, which is attached to the back of the bark, is disrupted. This layer of tissue provides nutrients and water. Without it, the leaves, branches and roots wither and die. Grafting new bark onto the damaged area creates a bridge, which allows the phloem layer to repair itself and close the tree's wound.

Difficulty:

Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Knife
• Soap
• Sponge
• Bucket
• Garden hose

1. Clean the tree's wound by removing jagged edges with a sharp knife. Wash the wound with a mixture of 1 part soap and 3 parts water, using a sponge and bucket. Rinse the area thoroughly with water from a garden hose.

2. Use the knife to remove a piece of healthy branch 2 inches wide and 3 inches longer than the wound. Trim one side of the branch to lie flat and cut the ends in a wedge shape. This creates the bridge or grafting of tree bark to heal the wound.

3. Cut two parallel lines into the trunk with the knife, starting at the wound and moving away from it to create flaps that are longer than the wound. Avoid cutting between the lines to provide space for the bridge.

4. Lift the flaps to insert the bridge or grafting, running the bark in the same direction as the bark's ridge pattern so the clean wood is not exposed and doesn't become infected. As the tree grows, the thin layers under the flap eventually fuse together with the trunk, repairing the phloem layer and bark.

Tips & Warnings

• Contact an arborist if the tree's bridge does not take.

References

• New Mexico State University; Repairing Damaged Tree Bark; Curtis W. Smith; 2007
• Gardening Know How: Repairing Tree Bark Damage