Himalayan Birch Damage

asamanthahalton · August 2021

Really sad that my beautiful Himalayan Birch (about 5 years old) has taken a bashing - could anyone tell me if it’s salvageable or if there is anything I can do to improve its chances? I really like this tree!
The damage happened with a lawnmower to one side, but then some further bark peeled off (it seemed to ‘wilt’ off on the other side) after the lawnmower damage, so now the whole tree has a 1-2cm strip of white paper bark missing, all the way around it. Please help!

bertrand-mabel · August 2021

Have a look at

https://www.rhs.org.uk/Plants/100356/i-Betula-utilis-i/Details

Maybe it is what this birch does.

Loxley · August 2021

Aside from specialist techniques like bridge grafting there's not much you can really do, other than cross your fingers and hope the wound heals quickly, and that the removal of the thin outer layer of bark doesn't cause any problems.

If the tree 'died' it's possible new growth will come from the base, which you can train as a multi stem (removing the old trunk and selecting three or four shoots to train as the new main limbs).

asamanthahalton · August 2021

Thanks for your thoughts, I’ve taken some cuttings and hope to grow another tree from it at least, though I really hope it can recover!
Does anyone know how long a properly girdled tree would take to show signs it was dying? And what to look out for?

Fairygirl · August 2021

I think it also might be a good idea to increase the space round the tree to avoid future accidents

Your cuttings will take several years to be of any size, so keep your fingers crossed that the problem doesn't get worse. If the damage isn't too deep, it might be ok, and as @Loxley says, you may get new growth from lower down to create a multi stem tree. I'd expect going through winter is when you might see deterioration, simply due to wet getting into any wounds.

Himalayan Birch Damage

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