Thanks, Bob. I'm afraid the bark is fairly thick but I'll have to take
a close look. Would there be a small bump where there's a dormant bud?

zxcvbob wrote:
Chris wrote:
[Getting trees to grow new branches on a bare trunk...]
Maybe there's a way to poke something into the bark that provokes a branch to start.
Suggestions appreciated.

You're close. Generally speaking, if you make a little cut in the trunk
above a dormant bud, so that bud can't see any auxin from the terminal
buds, it should sprout. The trick is finding the dormant buds; it's not
easy if the trunk already has thick rough bark.

Bob