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On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:26:02 GMT, joevan
wrote:

On Thu, 24 Apr 2008 20:50:56 +0100, "Mary Fisher"
wrote:


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I had one Willow die from this malady already. I have a second which
has now come down with the same problem. Namely, the bark at the
bottom
of the trunk just comes off in hugh chunks about 1 or 2 feet long.

These trees are about 6-7 years old.

I'd hate to lose the second one, which is now about 25 feet in height.

Anyone have any idea as to what causes this?

It's usually deer, in UK at least.

Mary

Funny, it is usually deer in most areas I know also. Not only trees
but all sorts of flowers and bushes. Once upon a time there was little
food for deer, then the settlers came and planed corn and made it
available to the deer and sure enough they thrived and multiplied, and
then other men with their wisdom, made it against the law to kill the
deer.Then there were those who said, after seeing Bambi, Oh aren't
those little darlings so cute. So there it is in a nutshell. Now you
just have to live with the cute little monsters.

There are no deer on my property because my little acre is fenced.

We had a similar problem it was a neighbours cats shredding the outer layer
allowing infections to penetrate.Either way the answer is a loose collar of
chicken wire
( around the tree base ) both species will soon get the hint.
Derek