Spiral Tree Guards – Watch Out!

Tree guards can be left in place too long. The task of removing spiral tree guards once trees are established could be well worth the effort.

Guards are normally installed when trees are planted to make sure they get off to a good start. Once in place, they form a protective barrier from various types of potential injury problems to the lower trunk. The most obvious is protection from rodents and rabbit feeding but also from various treatments that are applied to control vegetation around the base of the tree.

After 2 or 3 years, trees typically gain enough girth to make that once loose fitting guard pretty snug. Snug enough that the immediate microenvironment just under the bark is totally altered for the worst in some cases. Amongst other things, insect pests can hide under there, the bark can fail to mature on an annual basis because it's not exposed to the elements, and this is where the trouble starts.

Below is a picture taken in mid-May of the resulting failure to remove one of these guards after it has done its job in the first years of the trees' life. This tree is basically dead and on its way out. As a mature tree of a desirable cultivar we could well estimate the value of the tree as a capital asset in a bearing condition as several times more than the actual cost of a new tree. If you do have these types of tree guards make sure they are not going to create problems for you by leaving them on the trees longer than they should be left.

Figure 1 - Bark necrosis from failure to remove the spiral guard after tree estabishment.

For more information:
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