Originally Posted by
friskyweasel
hi pharmerphil and thanks for your help!
As far as I know there shouldn't be any salt in the area. However, field mice / voles are very common in this area. I have seen voles running up and down the wooded fence right next to that mimosa tree.
It's kind of hard to see in the pictures, but if you get right up close with the naked eye, the damage to the two trees looks almost exactly the same...which makes me suspect mice/voles on the little maple tree as well. I've never heard of them doing that? Chewing trees?
Do you think the smaller tree (the Japanese Maple) is beyond the point where it could be saved? There is a lot of bark missing, and I have no idea what to do for it to try to save it, if it's even possible at this point.