Hi, Tom, and sorry for your loss. I know the feeling, as I lost my best peach tree two years ago in the same way. Some thoughts: 1. Voles, mice, and other critters will attack a young tree, too. 2. The girdled trees should be replaced, but the others will likely heal okay. 3. The white tree guards work okay, but are pricey. 4. I've been making guards out of hardware cloth, but it is difficult to work with. Another respected poster recommended aluminum foil to me for that reason. This game can be frustrating, but the rewards make it all worthwhile. Good luck, Misterbaby.

Yup, most of us have been through it. sounds like you've seen some snow and rabbits are working their way up the trunks. I once had apples girdled for the entire first 4 feet of trunks in a snow year.

If the rabbits run out of apple bark they may go after pears and I've had voles go after peaches although you aren't growing them.

I'm the one who suggested foil instead of hardware clothe. The advantage of HC is that it breathes while the bark gets pretty tender under foil during the growing season. You can always remove it then.

I use the white plastic wraps which aren't too expensive but they do encourage borers to some degree. Still, I often see commercial growers around here using them. Even though they have holes they also create a tender bark.

I guess expensive is a bit subjective. If I had a rabbit problem I would not consider .95 cents per tree expensive and I am far from well to do.

Here is a link that might be useful: Plastic Spiral Tree Protectors

Hi Tom-
You have my sympathies as well. Like Misterbaby, I too use hardware cloth. If you want to see one, look at the pics in "My Page". Before I got into fruit trees, I had a dogwood that got girdled and learned my lesson then. There is a grower near me that does use the white wraps, but I believe he said he also removes them for part of the year (though I'm not sure when... perhaps other can elaborate). I don't use them for the bark issues that Harvestman suggested. For me, Hardware cloth is cheap and easy.

Glen I love your yard. Everything is so nice and green and healthy. I'm tired of living in the desert. Have you ever considered adopting?

I don't take up much space.

Here in AZ we don't have much of a vole problem but we do have a real issue with rabbits. We get questions all the time about this, what has worked real well in this area is wrap your trunk with a piece of burlap sack, you can also soak the burlap with any number of types repellents. It helps with sunburn on young seedlings also.
Being the only Grower that propagates our own rootstock and grafts our own trees in the State we've had to re-invent the wheel a number of times to get the results we need for growing here in extreme heats and low humidity's
Burlap is cheap (if not free) easy to add and remove, keeps rabbits off, and allows your tree to breath without scaring any young bark/flesh.

I use the 4 inch black corregated drainage pipe with the holes in it, and I believe others do as well. I just cut off 18 to 24 inch sections with a utility knife then rip a cut length wise just cutting through one side with my table saw so it can ex pand as the tree grows, I could cut it off later but none of my trees are that large yet. I use it at the base of my grapes kiwis etc... to protect against weed wacker, roundup etc... I have wondered about any negative I will be encountering, but so far I have not had issues. I know others use it as well has anyone had issues using this, with moisture/breathing issues, rodents or whatever. I think it was suggested to me by Century Farms, and Dave Vernon from there stated the rodents would not nest in it with the open top and so far that seems the case for me.It is pretty cheap and readily avialable everywhere

I don't remove the plastic spirals I use, I just loosen them when they become tight- usually once a season. I get some aphids inside the plastic but the tenderness of the bark hasn't been an existential issue for the trees. I wrap hundreds of trees this way and have for several years.

Thanks ThisIsMe! That's all the encouragement I need to get started this spring! Not too many new plantings to do I want to let what I have mature a bit (though will add some more blueberries and wineberries), but plenty of other work to be done. Of course I'm willing to adopt! I think many of the people on this board have similar yards... they just need to post them to the "my page" area. Don't forget, those are some of my best pics from the last 4 years, so it doesn't always look like that. Yeah, especially with all of last year's rain, some of the woods almost look like a lush green rainforest. But, you in zone 9 can grow some good things that I can't... I wish I could grow citrus and figs! Probably 80% of what I know about fruit IÂve picked up by studying this board daily. So, I owe much of it to all of you. Anyway, thanks again for the encouragement! -Glenn

Thanks for all the suggestion. I'll be getting the replacement trees in March. What's aggrevating is that these are not wild rabbits but pets that have been let loose years back. My neighbors feed them and of course they keep on breeding. There are about 2 dozen of them right now. Fortunately the game department doesn't protect them from hunting since they aren't wild. Part of my plan may involve a pellet gun. Tom

Having also lost 100% of our first orchard to rabbits(1971), I can empathize with you. Plastic cylinders do work to protect the bark. However, such tubing should be removed
during warm and wet months to prevent fungus from developing
and damaging or killing the tree. We lost two trees from
such fungus.I also got tired of installing and removing the tubing guards. Small mesh hardware cloth does not need to be uninstalled and reinstalled. Small mesh can also protect against voles if buried a few inches.
Another very effective aid, in addition to the hardware
cloth, is to mix copper fungicide with white interior latex paint(add 10% water) and paint each tree trunk up to the scaffolding...about 30". If you live in an area with heavy snow and drifting, a 5'-6' hoop of wire may be needed for complete protection from rabbits and deer. Be aware, small rabbits can pass through 2"x4" welded wire.

For deer and rabbit problem this may work.
http://www.gqfmfg.com/pdf/GardenGuardian.pdf
that pdf show guardian birdhouse #9505 model number.
www.GQFmfg.com will get to web site. this bird house has 4 red flashing light and 4 blue flashing light all are ramdom flashes. Rabbits bird house need tobe mount 2 foot off grond blue light is scare for rabbits I was going to try led blue christmas lights but went with birdhouse guard rabbits just don't eat bark here at my home I'm just throwing this in as you may have string blue Led lights. Ramdom flashing is name game when trying scare off any animal about 4 patrend need scare deer birds of pray awls hawks coyotes. Rat terror dog (Jack & Jill my greeters) and blackbirds don't pay any attention to lights. It will not work on song birds. One other thing its solar power thanks to larrygene and pinkswine for help with links. One these have range they work 100 foot radius so want work for front and back yard at same time at 79.95 there not cheap but encore roses cost more than that and small money pit in chickens I had long 4 toed stand build so could move it around.