What did this to my tree?

[MossRoad]

Looking at the first pictures, it looks like the bark broke in almost a straight line, died, the wood appears to be healing behind it, and it slipped off at some point. Maybe the bark died below those holes from the sapsuckers?

 

[Egon]

Larry, VERY close, it's what's across the road, I'm on a smaller creek running down from the hills... yeah, I wish they never introduced reed canary grass, it's a jerk and I can't do a whole lot about it...

You're funny... with the high water level I can't walk in the area with the stupid reed canary grass let alone drag some type of applicator. Up until a couple weeks ago most of it has been under 8" or more water and by what reed canary grass does it leaves a mesh along the top of the soil so the only structure is it's woven stems or ryzomes or whatever the junk uses to spread (I'm pretty sure all of the above). On a good year I can get to about 75% of the area I have that's infected with the stuff by now with a tractor, this year is about 25%. But since I can't get to mow it before it goes to seed it isn't very effective... I'd need some waterway safe version of whatever chemical I'd use, then I'd likely need a special permit to use it...

Apparently one of the best ways to deal with reed canary is to cover it with plastic for 4 years to give all the seeds a chance to germinate and the underlying roots to decompose and die. It's on the list but the summer breeze from the Eola hills can get ridiculous...

On the tree front, I'll likely grab a new driveway alarm but for now the wire mesh around the trunk is either working or whatever did it has moved on...

It is time to start a rice paddy and get the cultivation tools required?

 

[the old grind]

... with the high water level I can't walk in the area with the stupid reed canary grass let alone drag some type of applicator. Up until a couple weeks ago most of it has been under 8" or more water and by what reed canary grass does it leaves a mesh along the top of the soil so the only structure is it's woven stems or ryzomes or whatever the junk uses to spread (I'm pretty sure all of the above). On a good year I can get to about 75% of the area I have that's infected with the stuff by now with a tractor, this year is about 25%. But since I can't get to mow it before it goes to seed it isn't very effective... I'd need some waterway safe version of whatever chemical I'd use, then I'd likely need a special permit to use it...
...
On the tree front, I'll likely grab a new driveway alarm but for now the wire mesh around the trunk is either working or whatever did it has moved on...

I only had to buy a 15 gal towable sprayer once and haven't ever use the boom yet. (in a decade). Wand shoots 20' or so and I mix 5 gal on shore before launch to spray rhizomes (phragmites) from the water where land access is limited by ... swwamp willows.

Mowing rhizomes (knotweed, too) is like trimming a grape vine except they spread more below ground than by seeds and that just encourages re-sprouting from roots that are tough to kill. At least the mesh will protect tree trunks from most attackers. I use chicken wire to deter rabbits from 'ringing' desired deciduous saplings. (oak, maple,etc)

btw, glypho is the most nearly benign herbicide to use near water. It breaks down quickly on contact with soil or water unlike most any other.

 

[Jstpssng]

I only had to buy a 15 gal towable sprayer once and haven't ever use the boom yet. (in a decade). Wand shoots 20' or so and I mix 5 gal on shore before launch to spray rhizomes (phragmites) from the water where land access is limited by ... swwamp willows.

Mowing rhizomes (knotweed, too) is like trimming a grape vine except they spread more below ground than by seeds and that just encourages re-sprouting from roots that are tough to kill. At least the mesh will protect tree trunks from most attackers. I use chicken wire to deter rabbits from 'ringing' desired deciduous saplings. (oak, maple,etc)

btw, glypho is the most nearly benign herbicide to use near water. It breaks down quickly on contact with soil or water unlike most any other.

Rodeo is what they recommend... the active ingredient is glyphosate but it doesn’t contain the additives which other formulations have to prohibit aquatic use.
I’m not big on herbicides but am studying to get my license again.
Properly used they can be the best tool for the job... especially on the invasives you’ve mentioned.
As has been noted Phragmites chokes out the natural vegetation. At a training session a few years ago we were told that when knotweed grows near water it emits a substance which is harmful to the fish population downstream, but I haven’t found anything recently to back that up.

 

[3gunr]

Male deer scrape, marking territory.

Bucks do make scrapes , But they also rub the heck out of dozens of trees every yr, Late winter on my farm you can see a hundred rubs by riding aroundon the atv. That is not a buck rub though.