Tree bark protector

Claim 1

A shield assembly for protecting bark on the basal portion of a tree from the girdling action of lawn trimming equipment, comprising, in combination: two identical half sections of molded high impact polyurethane plastic; at least one aperture in a ground contacting portion of each half section; a spike for inserting through each said aperture for anchoring the assembled shield in its protecting position, the improvement comprising: the shield assembly having a cylindrical upper portion which gradually tapers downwardly and outwardly to an outwardly directed horizontal flange, said flange adapted to seat on the ground surface, said aperture located within the extent of said flange; a horizontal, internally formed second flange extending inwardly from the top edge of the cylindrical upper portion and defining a central hole through which the trunk of a tree may extend, said second flange including at least one concentric V-shaped groove spaced between said top edge and said central hole to define at least one removable flange section, whereby the hole can be enlarged by removal of said removable flange section, to accommodate a larger tree trunk; the facing edges of each half section including facing swollen wall portions, said swollen wall portions including apertures for receiving molded locking connector means; and, molded locking connector means for interconnecting said facing edges of each half section, whereby, the half sections may be connected over the enlarged basal portion of a tree to shield the bark against contact by lawn trimming equipment.