Crapemyrtle bark accidentally peeled off

Q: My two boys and their friends were climbing in my 20 ft. tall crepemyrtle and decided it would be neat to peel off the bark. I don’t like the new look and I’m wondering if it will die.

A: As you know, many crapemyrtles naturally shed their bark each year. The loose bark shreds expose interesting underbark colors when they peel away.

The boys have taken things a lot further than what would occur naturally. It is hard to say what will happen now. Peeling away so much protection might allow the tree to lose water faster than it should. Insects might have an easier time attacking.

I recommend protecting the trunk with paper tree wrap (click for sources)paper tree wrap (click for sources). I don’t know how long the wrap lasts or how long it will take for the tree to grow new bark.

Please send me regular updates so I can learn if this works.