Didn’t realize how deep this young shantung was planted. I finally excavated the root flare only to discover about half the circumference of bark rotted away or stripped from damage… inner wood seems fine… keep? Replace? What’s y’all’s thoughts?
by TKE1358
2 Comments
What do you lose by keeping it?
It’s young. Get that depth set properly, and it has a strong chance of recovery.
Obviously I don’t know what I can’t see underground. What I can see is some Very Determined callus tissue trying to grow around the dead wood. Makes me wonder about the timeline on the damage it suffered.
Based on your pictures, it appears that over 3/4 of the circumference of the lower trunk is dead. It’s rare that trees this girdled survive for long…but not necessarily impossible. I would personally consider replacing it, rather than waiting 2 or 3 years have replacing it at a later date.