Novice maple enthusiast here. Just noticed these areas of stripped bark on the trunk of my Uncle Ghost (in a large container). Looks like something is eating the bark. Squirrels? Rabbits? Location is Seattle, WA, USA. I’d appreciate any suggestions on 1) what could be doing this?, 2) how to treat/repair the damage, and 3) how to prevent future attacks. As you can see from the photos, I the bark seems to have some type of infestation or disease. I’ll put up a separate post to help with identification and treatment. Is it possible that this disease is driving the attack.
I live in NC and here I have seen squirrels do this. The tree has always survived it, but of course with scars. A few times it has been really severe. Your critters are different from ours, but still seems likely to be squirrels. If the tree is healthy it should be able to heal from the damage I see in your photos.
Agree, probably squirrels or mice. You wrap some burlap or plastic mesh around the trunk to keep them off, possibly. If the damage is almost all the way around (ringing the tree) it can take a long time to recover, but even then they usually do. Of course, if ringed, anything above the wound is dead (though it may keep going for the rest of the year or so). The bark is fine, that's just a bit of scald, sun or wind, completely normal.
I disagree, the vermin has to be much larger than a mouse or a squirrel. The bark is obviously ripped with a strong force. And the damage on the photo number 3 looks like it is one mouth bite. Deer? Dog?
