I live in New England and planted this maple several years ago, and this year it started showing peeling bark in several areas near the ground. The foliage looks fine, and I can see pavement ants climbing up and down the tree but no other visible pests. Any ideas?
Could it be that the tree was planted too deep? Why don't you gently scrape back the soil at the base and make sure that it is not above the root flare - where the first main roots attach to the trunk. Another possibility is that it has been damaged by a weed-whacker.
Hi, That's a possibility... The damage seems to start at the junction of the rootstock and the graft, it happened on one of my trees. The sap being stopped, then the bark abose is also damaged. From what I can see, I think it can recover. It might take a few years, but if you "paint" the wood with a copper-based fungicide, I think it will be OK. How's the tree above?
