Tree guards serve a number of purposes in the late fall and winter months. If you have planted a tree in the last few years here are a few great reasons to protect your young trees.
Deer
Deer can do a lot of damage by rubbing antlers on young trees. Plastic tree guards are a great solution for young trees trees since they can deter deer and keep them from rubbing off the thin bark causing serious damage. For larger trees hardware screen fencing can be a better option. Be sure to leave enough space between the fencing and the tree to prevent the fence from rubbing on the trunk.
Winter!
Winter cold, winds and sun all can do damage to our landscape trees. Sunscald shows up as long cracks or sunken areas of bark on tree trunks. When the winter sun shines and warms the bark of the tree it causes activity in the tree, but cloud cover or the sun being blocked by a building can cause the temps to drop enough to cause damage. Light colored, plastic guards help prevent this warming which usually happens on the south or southwest side of trees.
Young, newly planted trees and thin bark trees like crabapples, lindens and maple can be especially susceptible.
Other Critters
Finally, tree guards can also help prevent nibbling by rabbits and other small rodents. Similar to when deer rub the bark off, rabbits can quickly remove the tree bark over the winter and cause severe damage.
Tree guards are a simple and inexpensive way to protect the time and money you have invested in purchasing, planting and caring for your trees.