We have a two-year old weeping willow, about 10 ft tall, that we needed to move about a month ago in an emergency. Trunk was about 1.5" at chest height. Transplant went well, we got a nice intact 18" root ball. The tree went into transplant shock for about a week, then started pushing out new growth. About 10 days ago, I came home to see that the deer had rubbed their antlers on it. Damage begins at about 5" up from the root flare and extends upwards in varying widths for about 3 ft. There is only one place where the bark goes uninterrupted from bottom to top and it is only about a 1/2" wide strip. I cleaned up the damage as best I could. I struggled with what to do, if anything, beyond that. I don't know if it is too late to "do something" to help it. I have been googling this for 10 days and driving myself nuts, I am so angry I did not cage off the tree. Any advice would be appreciated!

Welcome to the site!

I would cage it off, give it plenty of water going into the fall and winter and hope for the best.

Moving your question to the Trees and Shrubs forum.

Sukimossy7
Sounds like it's going to be iffy. Agree with cage & water. Willows are tough. Can you post pictures showing damage all the way around the trunk?

If the tree is big enough, cut some branches off and plant them. Cage and water - by spring you will have more trees.

The size of the cuttings doesn't seem to matter but make sure to bury enough trunk to develop a good root system.

Reducing the size of the canopy will aid in the tree's survival.

Thank you all for the replies. I posted some pictures. The first one shows the intact strip of bark. When I looked this morning, the intact bark looks like it is coming away from the trunk but when I touched it, it was very hard and didn't move. The canopy was also cut back significantly, thanks to the same deer who rubbed the trunk. The bark near the base was still attached, but hanging so I immediately put it back on and have stretchy flexible fabric ties holding it up snuggly, but not tied. I read that it may be best to just cut it below the damage and the tree might just sprout. I feel terrible chopping the whole thing down though. I took two cuttings before the transplant move and they rooted in water.

While I understand that this might be heart breaking, cutting it below the damage might make it resprout from dormant buds. Willows grow very fast and generally handle hard pruning very well. It'll take a couple of years though.

If unwilling to do that, be patient.
If it does go downhill next year, rip it out and buy yourself a new tree to go crazy about.

If I decide to cut it below the damage (which would only leave about 4" tall of trunk), should I do it now or wait until late winter/early spring? I didn't know if doing it now, and pushing out new growth right before it gets cold would be a good idea. Is there any harm in waiting until the spring to see how it does?

I would wait until spring, plus you already have 2 cuttings.

Leave it until spring in case you decide to go down that route. New growth won't have enough time to lignify (harden off) before the first freezes set in.

I still think the tree has enough bark to survive uncut so wait and see.

Thank you all for your responses! Tree has sprouted two suckers from the lower trunk, on a less damaged spot but not below the damage altogether. Should I just leave them be for now?

I potted the two cuttings that I rooted in water and they are growing leaves. The temperature is starting to drop here at night into the 40s. Do I leave these pots outside or bring them inside? Not sure what kind of light they should be in as well.

I would leave them out in a protected spot, maybe in a shed, basement or unheated garage. Inside will kill them - too hot and dry for dormant trees. Remember to water them - even dormant trees need some moisture.

So the weeping willow is not looking good. Some of the branches started blackening at the tips and it's working its way back. The exposed heartwood looks black and moldy.

But I think there may be something worse. I had read another post about "root flare" so I have been checking out my trees and shrubs looking to see if they have proper trunk/ flare. The willow seems to have nice flare on one side but on the other, there is this lumpy growth area. I touched one spot and it was like corky, soft and just fell off. There is another smaller lump on the adjacent side that has a whitish look and is very hard. I gently pulled back the soil and there is a reddish brown sawdust looking type material by the lumps. Is this indicative of crown gall? Crown rot? Are they one and the same?

Maybe tree borers?

It is only in this spot, right at the soil line. I don't see any insects, not sure if they would still be around as it is really cold now.

My plan was to wait until spring to see if the tree survived the deer damage but if it is crown gall, is it bad to leave this? There is nothing really close to this tree.

I like your wait and see approach.

Hi everyone. Wanted to post some new pics of the crown situation. It doesn't look like it's worse. I believe crown gall grows rapidly? Or only when tree isn't dormant? New issue - we've had a ton of rain and it looks like soil around base eroded somewhat. I think I'm now seeing a big fat root that might be growing in a girdling fashion. Definitely not growing straight out like the other side. This poor tree. Anxiously waiting to see what happens in the spring. Last year the leaf out started by the end of February.

So it's alive. It is leafing out up top but lots of suckers on the bottom. I know the usual rule is to remove the suckers….but with the girdling damage, I'm wondering if they will help feed the roots???

In bad news, it is not looking too good as far as the crown area. I'm fairly certain I'm looking at crown gall. Anyone familiar, please weigh in!