Bulbs
Flower Basics
Flower Beds & Specialty Gardens
Flower Garden
Garden Furniture
Garden Gnomes
Garden Seeds
Garden Sheds
Garden Statues
Garden Tools & Supplies
Gardening Basics
Green & Organic
Groundcovers & Vines
Growing Annuals
Growing Basil
Growing Beans
Growing Berries
Growing Blueberries
Growing Cactus
Growing Corn
Growing Cotton
Growing Edibles
Growing Flowers
Growing Garlic
Growing Grapes
Growing Grass
Growing Herbs
Growing Jasmine
Growing Mint
Growing Mushrooms
Orchids
Growing Peanuts
Growing Perennials
Growing Plants
Growing Rosemary
Growing Roses
Growing Strawberries
Growing Sunflowers
Growing Thyme
Growing Tomatoes
Growing Tulips
Growing Vegetables
Herb Basics
Herb Garden
Indoor Growing
Landscaping Basics
Landscaping Patios
Landscaping Plants
Landscaping Shrubs
Landscaping Trees
Landscaping Walks & Pathways
Lawn Basics
Lawn Maintenance
Lawn Mowers
Lawn Ornaments
Lawn Planting
Lawn Tools
Outdoor Growing
Overall Landscape Planning
Pests, Weeds & Problems
Plant Basics
Rock Garden
Rose Garden
Shrubs
Soil
Specialty Gardens
Trees
Vegetable Garden
Yard Maintenance
How to Fix a Rabbit-Chewed Arborvitae
How to Fix a Rabbit-Chewed Arborvitae. Rabbit damage is classified as either shoot or bark damage. Shoot damage occurs on new growth and has distinctive angled cuts. This damage is rarely fatal. Bark damage occurs when rabbits remove the bark from around a branch. If too much bark is removed, all growth above the damage will die. If you're dealing...
Rabbit damage is classified as either shoot or bark damage. Shoot damage occurs on new growth and has distinctive angled cuts. This damage is rarely fatal. Bark damage occurs when rabbits remove the bark from around a branch. If too much bark is removed, all growth above the damage will die. If you're dealing with a shrub, it may rebound from both types of damage with only a little bit of help from you. Trees will only recover if the trunk has not been heavily damaged.
Things You'll Need
Pruning sheers
4-foot fence
Remove any arborvitae trees that have girdled trunks. Girdling is when the bark has been completely removed. Wait to dig up arborvitae shrubs even if they appear heavily damaged. Shrubs will often produce new suckers or growth at their base and may recover.
Wait until the spring to prune damaged branches. Trim branches just below the damage if only part of the branches or the shoots are damaged. Shoot damage occurs on new growth and has distinctive angled cuts. This damage is rarely fatal, but can affect a shrub or tree's shape. Rabbits and deer like to eat the shoot or new growth on arborvitae.
Prune branches down to the ground or trunk if the bark has been stripped halfway or more around. Any wood above this point is dead.
Wait a few weeks to see if the tree or shrub will recover. Your shrub should rejuvenate and you'll see new growth emerging from around the base of the shrub.
Install a 4-foot fence around your arborvitae to prevent further rabbit damage while it is recovering.
Tips & Warnings
Don't bother with wound dressings, pruning paints, latex paints or similar protective barriers because they do not help prevent rabbit damage, according to Rebecca Finneran with Michigan State University Extension.
