Ask-a-Dave's-Gardener: Orange Dream Maple bark stripped by squirrels. :-(, 0 by VeraRoss

VeraRoss wrote:
Hi everyone, I'm new to the forum but have gathered info from you all over the years. Thanks so much!

I have a question. I'm relatively new to gardening. My husband and I planted this young Orange Dream Maple a couple of years ago in a planter on our deck. We live in Lancaster County, PA and our deck is East facing, and the tree has been doing great!

We just noticed today that our (out of control) squirrels have stripped the bark either off of the tree completely, or they've ripped it down in multiple places on the trunk.

Do I need to snip away the bark that's left that's separated from the trunk, or should I leave it? And do I need to do something to protect the exposed bark so the tree doesn't get damaged? Are there any products I should purchase? I have a few pictures I'll try to post. (Sorry they posted horizontal!)

Thanks in advance for your help!
Vera