tree bark eaten by deer

[Kodiak]

i have a tree that has been eaten by a deer, all the bark about a foot long has been stripped of the tree it is a 12 ft ash, still a small tree,,will it survive, the stripping occured about thigh level.

thanks

[Powerstroke]

It should be just fine. If you are concerned about further damage you can wrap the tree with some cardboard, draintile or some other material to protect the bark.

[DonBo]

We have an ash tree at the cabin that has been hit by a truck twice, almost shot in half by a rifle bullet and rubbed on by a buck. We keep expecting it to be dead by next spring and it just keeps coming back. Amazing.

[Powerstroke]

They are quite resilient. There is a reason they are planted on the boulevards of city streets. They can tolerate many extremes in their environment.

The only tissue on a tree that is alive is the outermost layer under the bark. The rest of the wood in the trunk is dead and the bark protects it like our human skin.

If you strip the inner tissue off in a complete circle around the tree it is called girdling. That will kill the tree. You have cut off the supply of water and nutrients from top to bottom. If there is still some tissue running top to bottom the tree wil usually survive unless there is severe top dieback.

[fishingforester]

I second Powerstrokes comments. From dimensions of the tree, and location of the damage on the tree, it sounds like it is from a buck rubbing his antlers on the tree rather than being used as a food source. Regardless, I have heard that hardware cloth (1/4" X 1/4" steel mesh) wrapped around the trunk will deter the deer from damaging the trunks of trees. August thru December should be an adequate time of year to have it around the tree. Make sure not to leave it on too long, as the quick diameter growth of a young tree can outgrow the wire cage and cause girdling damage to the tree.