This apple tree has lost a large amount of bark. The wood is becoming soft and rotten. Wood hardener can stop the rot and preserve the exposed wood.

Several pruning scars have rotted out. Borers have invaded and tunneled. Fortunately there is an exit hole, so if the wood is preserved, no further damage should occur. The tree is laid on its side so as to keep the hardener away from the soil mass. The holes could be filled, and in this case most were not. The one large hole near the top of the heavy trunk was filled, then the filler was stained to match the surrounding wood.

Here a large scar had rotted away. The rot was removed by scraping, and wood hardener was used.

The hole was then filled with wood filler, and the edges of the scar were scraped. In a while the callus should begin to "roll" over the wood filler.

Large scars remain where large roots have been removed. the scars can be dealt with by cutting back to the trunk and carfully managing the callus as it develops.

Large scars which have begun to callus have the edges scraped as well as the surface. This will promote further callus development which should roll more smoothly over the pruning scars

Close-up of scraped areas. Notice how the bulging edges of the calluses have been scraped flat.