Bits of Bark Gone Near Base of Dwarf Maple

[777thSunRay]

So I recently received a Dwarf Japanese Maple, a few days ago. Just today, I noticed that in three spots towards the base of the trunk, some bark is gone. If it came that way, I didn’t notice until now haha.

You can see that the bigger and elongated bare spot above is white, as is another small spot just below, while the smaller one below to the left is closer to bark color. Could anyone advise me as to what the issue might be, perhaps pests, or something else? Is it something I need to worry about? I gave the tree a spray of the 3 in 1 treatment.

I am posting pics. Sorry if they’re not well in focus. Thanks in advance!

 

[Bnana]

You can't see any detail. Can you post pictures where the wound is in focus?
It could be damage in transport.

 

[Shibui]

Definitely need better photos to accurately diagnose problems.
Some general possibilities:
Bark peels off naturally each year but I suspect this is more than that.
A number of beasties eat through bark - rats, mice, squirrels, etc. Most areas have bark eaters of some sort. Check for bits of bark left on the soil nearby, look for tooth marks round the edges of the peeled area.
Physical damage can occur but often it is not visible for several months afterward. If the bark was scraped off when you got it I'd expect you would have noticed when you got it.

 

[PA_Penjing]

animals love to eat the bark off of Japanese maples. I stopped growing them because of that., got one left growing in the ground, it has become a squirrel favorite. They peeled so much bark off the trunk it looks kind of like a "shagbark" cultivar. thanks guys

 

[rockm]

Looks like rodent (squirrel, ground squirrel mouse, rat etc.) damage. This is the time of year when sap is flowing upwards in maples in preparation for new spring growth. Maple sap is sugar heavy (which is why maple trees are tapped to make maple syrup this time of year).. Squirrels will chew the ends off branches, scar bark, etc. to get at it...Happens every spring with maples in my home landscaping.

 

[Bonsai Nut]

Tree rats or squirrels most likely. I don't know if you have squirrels in CDM, but I know you have tree rats.

Lots of different ways to know exactly what you're dealing with, but a fool-proof way is to get a game cam and place it a couple feet away from the trees that are getting nibbled. At that distance, any squirrel or rat will trigger the motion sensor and you'll catch the culprit red-handed!

 

[Bnana]

I would like to see a decent photo before claiming it's eaten. But it's definitely a possibility.

 

[Wulfskaar]

I recently figured out that on my phone camera, I need to go into "Pro mode" where I can adjust the focus manually. This makes for much clearer close-up shots.

 

[Wires_Guy_wires]

A piece of paper can help with camera focus too. Most phones have issues with finding objects to focus on, so providing a large plane to focus on can always help.

Let's not forget about woodlice, that eat basically everything as long as it's soft enough, even healthy tissue (I have seen it happen, otherwise I wouldn't believe it because they're known to eat just litter). I think Sorce has a thread on lemon beavers about it.

 

[WNC Bonsai]

Pretty sure it is either squirrels or voles. I apply a liberal coat of Mole Chaser in the fall and I’ve never had any damage and my yard is full of voles and squirrels.