Question: We have a two-year-old Japanese flowering cherry tree. Its bark was skinned about a year ago, and is bad looking. Is there anything I can do to make the scar heal over? GCS., Ohio.
Answer:If your tree is bruised deeply enough so that the bark is gone and the cambium layer, the live tissue just under the bark, is injured, nothing will speed up the growth of the cambium. However, clean the edge of the wound with a sharp knife so the cambium will start growing promptly over the damaged area. If the wound is sizeable it is a good idea to shellac the area to prevent decay of the inner wood so that when the tree has healed there will be no danger of a rotten place, or cavity, under the healed area.
