It looks to me that the wound is the result of the large branch removal right in front of it, which is a very common response. The diameter of the wood had grown in conjunction with that branch and the cambium vascular structure heading to it was a high proportion of what was on the overall scaffold. You cut off the flow and the sap heats up and scorches the cambium (just my theory, there). The reality is that these wounds don't usually kill trees that are otherwise vigorous and the callous forming on the borders indicates this is the case here. The dead cambium was serving the removed branch anyway and now it's just a matter of the tree outgrowing rot to remain structurally strong. What don't kill you makes you stronger.

Again, on this or in any forum, we always need pictures for a diagnosis. Always. Always, everyone. Much more information on this diagnosis is needed. Now, a Cleveland pear shedding bark is a bad sign, but as we don't know the extent of the bark shedding it is hard to tell the severity. These egg cases and overwintering insects described above may or may not be the cause - they may simply be taking advantage of a sheltered location and be unrelated to the bark peeling (which is an indicator of a larger symptom of ill health). Also post pics of any last year's showing leaf damage or any other indicator that the health of the tree is in decline - too much water? Too little? Major limb failure and disease entered? Dan

Many people might think this was a bit extreme, but if it were my tree (as small as it still is, as messed up as it is, and in the location it is in), I would probably consider removing it and starting over. The bark came off of the wounded area, not because of disease (at least not directly), but because something had damaged that part of the tree (likely resulting from the loss of the limb missing from the lower stub). That same wound extends above the top of the second picture and appears to go all the way up to the stub I just mentioned. The tree is trying to cover the wound over. Hopefully (especially if you decide to keep the tree), it can do so before rot develops. I don't agree with what Dan said, at least the way he said it, regarding the direction of the wound. Orientation of the wound may impact the trees ability to effectively cover it over, but many other factors are also involved. Normally, if it were my tree and I decided that I was going to keep it, I would begin addressing the lower branch with the bad crotch immediately, BUT in this case, I would do as Dan says and wait. The reason I would be hesitant to do it now has nothing to do with the toughness of the tree or my ability, or lack there of, to address the situation, but instead because removing (or even slowing down the growth of) that lower limb would likely significantly increase the time needed for the tree to heal over the wound. Without growth to that limb, that side of the wound will not have the ability to heal (effectively the wound would be much larger). Reducing that limb would be an option (kind of a compromise between doing nothing and total immediate removal), but I'm not sure it would be the preferred solution (because of the wound). Basically, there is no perfect solution, and you'll just have to weigh the options.

Hi Laura, I was trying to remember whether we tried Liquid Fence there or not, so I asked my husband. He thinks we probably didn't try it, as, as he believes the non-vegetarian racoons would probably find the stinky rotten egg smell attractive, the same way they like Fish emulsion. But we've not tried it, so I can't say for certain that it wouldn't work. You can use bone meal successfully, Laura. You just have to keep it at the bottom of the planting hole, not up, say, to within 6 or 8 inches of the top. We put a lot at the very bottom of all of our holes and have only had the digging problem with the one new planter where I think we added some a little closer to the top. Compost ought to work out really well for your roses and anything else you want to grow wherever you want to put it--in the holes and on top too. You don't have to go the extra step to make compost tea and carry around that heavy water if you don't want to; if you just scatter it on top of the mulch when it rains off and on, the compost will gradually dissolve into the ground and the plants will be able to gradually use its nutrients that way just fine. (Note: this method depends on leaving your mulch in place on top of the ground, and replenishing it with more mulch on top of that as it becomes necessary. The partially depleted mulch contains the nitrogen the new mulch will need to begin the breakdown process all over again without having to take much from the soil to accomplish that.) I'd not personally recommend the use of non-organic fertilizers, as their use changes the natural balance of the soil's microbia. Plants have evolved over the centuries to coexist with and benefit from the naturally-occurring soil organisms, not a soil whose microbia have become wildy unbalanced. I briefly used superphosphate (in the Dark Ages) on my rhododendrons until reading a research-based article about the long-range unhealthy soil effects of using superphosphate. Plants will be much healthier in the long run if you can use only organic fertilizers like compost. To take for example the plants we've had the longest experience with, our rhododendrons absolutely love cottonseed meal, judging from their generous, gorgeous blooming on reasonably healthy plants (with no spray at all) for the past 35 years. We haven't used regular commercial fertilizers of any kind anywhere in our yard, including superphosphate, for all that time. We just throw cottonseed meal out on top of the mulch and let it get washed down into the soil with the rain. It gradually decomposes, consistently furnishing its nutrients to the rhododendrons. In noticing our large healthy rhododendrons, surprised people around here have said that they can't grow rhododendrons in their own yards, including even some landscapers who ought to know how to grow them. But the key is in the soil health and that's the difference in what we do compared to what they tried that didn't work. Organically based stuff is all you ever need to successfully grow rhododendrons; anything else, like commercial regular fertilizers, sets the plant up for diseases to a much more crippling extent than it would likely have had to deal with in a natural setting. Since starting with roses, we've put lots of good organic stuff into the planting holes, but cottonseed meal and banana peels are the main thing they'll ever get on the top, other than tree leaves and mulch. It seems to work well for roses thus far; our roses were heavily budded up this spring and looking quite healthy until Rose Rosette Disease swept through the yard. Regarding your dog, well, if he/she starts barking wildly after dark, you might get out your flashlight and take a look in the front yard. We've done that a few times, and sure enough, there was a racoon. We gave up bothering to fuss at the racoon, though, since we noticed it had no effect whatsoever. They might saunter off a little, but as soon as you go back inside, they come right back. They don't seem to care the least bit what people think of their digging! Pesky little critters... Well, good luck with your critters. Best wishes, Mary