to answer your question specifically ... yes its a natural healing process .. its bark was severely damaged ... but based on the level of healing.. at least a year or two ago ... maybe sunscald.. or if field grown.. when it was dug and potted ... mechanical injury .... can it survive... sure.. why not.. planted properly.. and cared for properly ... see link is there anything you should do to help it.. no ... as you say.. its a natural process ... was it a bargain... yes.. was it worth what you paid for it... i dont know.. you didnt say what 80% was ... a pic of the whole tree.. might help ... ken Here is a link that might be useful: link

Random additional thoughts... If you've got good access to the existing ductwork, spend a few hours with some "mastic tape" & a bucket of duct sealer to tighten up all of your existing ductwork, both supply and returns. Any steel plenums/boxes in the ceiling need additional insulation to prevent transferring btu's to the attic. Seal your return-air "can" to the ceiling with good quality caulk and mastic tape - a poorly sealed "can" will allow attic air to go into the return. Ask for "r-8" flex duct - my supply house has both r-6 and r-8, and the cost difference is negligible - you need to assume your current hvac unit is marginal at best and you can't afford to give away any btu's. If feasible, you might consider replacing any existing flex duct with r-8 duct - some of the older stuff was only r-2. I've read studies that showed that an "average" insulated ceiling "gave up" HALF as many btu's the ductwork - spend most of your time in the ductwork first. Think about adding blown-in insulation to the whole house if you've got less than 10" over the entire house - you want to reduce the amount of work the current unit has to do. Weatherstripping the doors & windows will make a difference. When running flex duct, be aware that kinks and bends cost you more flow than length - if you have an obstruction that requires you to kink the line, going around it will likely give you better flow. Cut off any excess flex - leaving flex loose can cut flow 10-20% or more in flow capacity - pull it snug and cut off the excess -

So, I just dropped off the rug. We wrapped halfway with what was left of the wrapping it came in. The woman had her larger dog with her and as she was talking I saw the dog walk over and smell the rug. Next thing I know he kicks up his leg and pees on it. She said their was nothing on the rug just the plastic. I hope so! She was so embarrassed. I had to share. lol

The room is on the bland side ... but the rug is great. More lighting, perhaps with different "color temperature" bulbs, will help. Right now your contrast is low because your shades are clustered around the middle-low of the spectrum. Expanding contrast will give depth and make the room look brighter because you will be seeing lights and darks and intense and pale colors. More and bigger art that has similar tones to the rug but more intense, then use accessories, pillows and throws in even deeper shades. Rug appears to have a light sagey grey-green and some rust ... artwork (in image, mat, or frame) would then have some good celadon and cinnamon tones ... then find pillows or a lamp with an intense celadon or deep cinnabar. Brass or bronze for some glittery effect, mirrors or mirror-covered accessories to bounce light. I see a cream seat on a chair that might be easily recovered with something brighter like a floral that vaguely resembles something from the rug, but in more intense colors. And that window area looks barren and visually "underweight" compared to the rest of the room. Unless it would block traffic, I would put something there, like a small game table or a reading/needlework chair, to take advantage of the light. And consider a nice military vertical stripe in cream and celadon instead of the plain cream.