In response to the problems we are encountering with our popular and reliable shade trees, it is important to make sure the new trees we plant are getting the best care we can give them.
Young trees like linden and maple have smooth bark and are very prone to sunscald damage during the coldest part of winter.
This problem usually affects the southwest side of the tree trunk and is the result of the sun warming that side of the stem. When the sun sets, the temperature differential causes damage to the cells in the bark.
You will not see that damage until the tree begins growing in the spring. The affected bark is dead and cannot accommodate the expansion of the layers beneath, evidenced by the bark splitting open. This is not a death sentence for the tree, but neither is it something to ignore.
Nature has a built-in healing process whereby that bark will heal over the wound. The problem is that the new bark is even more susceptible to damage for the same reason as the problem to begin with.
The damage can be prevented by wrapping the stem from the ground up to where the trunk begins to branch. Paper tree wrap works well for larger trees.
For smaller diameter trees, spiral plastic wraps work great and can be reused until the tree is too big to accommodate the spiral. Sunscald is no longer a threat once the bark matures enough to begin to furrow.
Another reason to wrap young trees is to prevent “critter” damage. When we have a uniform snow cover, those cute little bunnies don’t care how much you paid for the tree. If they are hungry and it looks like something good to eat, they are not going to ask permission to have lunch. They tend to chew all the way around and that is called girdling. ... That, my friend, is a death sentence.