It is often wise to
protect the bark of newly planted trees from such
problems as
sunscald,
frost crack or
rodent damage. One approach is to wrap the tree
with a tree wrap. These are generally paper or
plastic products that fit around the circumference
of the tree. Being light colored, they reflect the
heat of the sun which is the cause of sunscald or
crack.
Plastic wraps are
commonly used on fruit trees and will also prevent
feeding by rodents during the winter.
Whichever product you
decide to use remember that this is not a permanent
thing. Wraps only need to be left on until the bark
begins its natural process of becoming coarser and
thicker. If you leave the wrap on too many years, it
may actually begin to grow into the bark itself and
cause a girdling. This will damage or could kill the
tree.
