How badly can trees be damaged by a lawn mower?

Trees often are wounded by careless use of garden equipment such as lawn mowers and trimmers. These injuries cut through important vascular tissue just underneath the bark, which can lead to decay and possibly death of the tree if infection occurs. With young trees, this type of damage can be devastating, but with older trees, the tree stands a greater chance of survival. We always recommend a bed of mulch around the tree ideally to the canopy drip line that eliminates the need to trim or mow close to the tree's base.