Hi Guys

Spring has finally hit Australia and our 2 year old Japanese Maple (Acer Palmatum) has just begun to bud but then we noticed this grey / black path of rot, or at least it looks like rot at the bottoms of the trunk. Everything else above and around it looks green � is this rot or could it be frost damage? Is there a way to nurse it back to health.

We mulched very carefully to not let any of it near the trunk, there may be a couple of pieces touching the trunk when I first inspected it.

Any help would greatly be appreciated - thanks