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Too Much Mulch (i.e., Mulch Volcano)

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From: Kirk Ralston City: Mason, MI
Years ago, being our first house, we loved the look of mulch around the bottom of our maple trees. Not knowing any better I piled it yearly too thick and too high developing a root system and generally making the trunk bark brittle and peeling. Because of the root system through it how can I remove it safely and bring the bark back to health?
	Extension Message From: Jay Hayek Extension Specialist, Forestry Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences jhayek@illinois.edu
Greetings Kirk: What you are describing is what we foresters refer to as a mulch volcano, where the mulch is piled deep and high against the stem of the tree. As you now know, mulch volcanoes are bad news. I would remove all but 2-3 inches (depth) of mulch and don't allow any of the mulch to touch the base of the stem - this will keep the constant moisture you've artificially created off of the base/bark. Good luck!
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