The 9 Best Tree Wraps

Editor's Notes

July 02, 2020:

Removed the Fulstarshop Bandage and Jobe’s Professional because of availability issues. Added A.M. Leonard 04BW and the Rovello Protector.

The primary reason for tree wraps is protection from sun scald. Sun scald is when bark on a tree is damaged by its freezing after being reactivated from dormancy. This often happens during winter when temperatures decrease, causing the tree's cells to become dormant. On a sunny winter day, the heat may reanimate some of the cells. Then once the temperatures drop again at night, the animated cells freeze and die. This can be severe enough to kill the tree. Saplings and thin-barked trees like aspens, soft maples, poplars, sycamores, and many fruit trees are most susceptible to sun scald and therefore require protection.

Tree wraps like the Walter E Clark 50-Foot can protect your trees by reflecting light away. They keep them dormant and therefore reduce the likelihood that they'll be killed by the cold. To wrap, simply start at the base of the tree, and wrap the paper around the trunk in a spiral while overlapping about half of the width of the paper. This overlapping also helps by making water and snow roll off. Then, once you reach the bottom of the main bundle of branches, you can tape up the wrap securely (don't use tape on the bark itself). Dewitt TW3W serves the same purpose but its white color is even better at reflecting light. It is also flexible enough to be tied off, so no tape is required.