Knowledgebase
Tree wrap #858387
Asked February 03, 2024, 9:16 AM EST
Carver County Minnesota
Expert Response
Thanks for the question.
Tree wrapping, such as you have done, is done for two primary purposes.
One is to protect young trees from winter sun scald. For older trees, say five or six years after their initial plantings, sun scald becomes a lesser threat due to increases in the thickness of their bark. With the warmer temperatures that are forecast, I would still suggest leaving the wrappings on for another couple of weeks. Although daytime temperatures may be above freezing due to sunlight, nighttime temperatures may still dip down close to freezing. These night temperatures remain in the forecasts. Such fluctuations in temperature can lead to bark splitting.
The other reason for wrapping trees is to protect them from animal damage, especially that caused by rabbits. If you have rabbits in your area, leaving the wrappings on for a bit longer might be wise. Until other shrubs and bushes start to green up, rabbits will be attracted to exposed bark, especially on young trees.
In shorter words, I would suggest waiting another ten days or so before removing the wrappings.
See the following for further information on these and related points:
https://extension.umn.edu/news/how-prevent-sunscald-your-trees-winter
Good luck. Please get back to us if you have further, related questions