“Putty” to fill in tree carvings?

My understanding is that applying a sealant or paint to tree bark damage can inhibit the natural healing process. So while your heart is in the right place, you could possibly harm the trees by filling in carving with foreign matter.

its not good to mess with the trees healing/scarring process. maybe preventative education like a leaflet on LNT which specifically addresses the issue printed and left at the trailhead will make some folks think twice

Ah, bummer, ok. I’ll let things heal naturally then.

I’ve been meaning to get some signs made, but reference the police and forest service instead of LNT. The delinquents who frequent this area don’t care about rules. But I have been rather successful scrubbing grafitti and cleaning trash to the point the condition of ~1.5 miles of mountian stream has substantially improved. The tree carvings are one of the last traces of hooliganalery I’d love to erase but apparently isn’t in the cards.

You might contact an actual arborist… tree surgeon… they sometimes cut out infected wood and fill it with something… but I doubt it would be putty.. and you might need to sterilize the wound with something…

Filling the carving “in” with a foreign material will just make it stand out all the more. You’re better off slicing the initials off the surface.

yeah, cut out the initials so it looks natural

If you’re cutting, sterilize the instruments and the wound… or you could be introducing a bacteria that could kill the tree.