Animal ate of bark on apple tree - Ask Extension
We forgot to wrap our apple tree this winter. Unfortunately, a rodent ate the bark of the lower 12 inches of the tree. Is there anything we can do to ...
Knowledgebase
Animal ate of bark on apple tree #926845
Asked March 26, 2026, 4:43 PM EDT
We forgot to wrap our apple tree this winter. Unfortunately, a rodent ate the bark of the lower 12 inches of the tree. Is there anything we can do to save the tree?
Itasca County Minnesota
Expert Response
I'm sorry to tell you this, but your tree has apparently been girdled all the way around. Nutrients and water cannot move up/down from roots, leaves and your tree will eventually starve to death. It may leaf out this spring using reserved nutrition but will start to fail as the season progresses and probably be dead before fall.
