It's hard to tell what is causing the damage. Do deer frequent the area? If so, this might be "buck rub" from last autumn, which is when male deer rub antlers on tree and shrub stems to scratch the velvet off. Squirrels can also gnaw bark off to get to the nutritious sapwood underneath, though this tends to be accompanied by fine grooves from their teeth; we can't see the damage clearly enough to tell if that's present or not here. They might be responsible for the removed wood flakes on the exposed root, even if they didn't bother the trunk. In either case, it looks like mechanical damage from wildlife and not a pest or disease symptom. We can't really say how to discourage the animal without knowing which one is responsible, though sometimes repellent sprays made for deer, rabbits, and/or groundhogs might help. If the plant is otherwise healthy (it looks like a Viburnum; the foliage pictured looks good), wound-closure tissue should gradually cover-over the trunk damage, though we're not certain the root will be able to do the same.

Miri

Hello,