Hello everyone! We recently moved to Central California to a nice place with several fruit trees in the back. I'd seen evidence of gophers the last couple months but didn't think much about them since we don't have a lawn... until I went out yesterday morning to discover a gopher had feasted on our poor mature lemon tree overnight! He's stripped the bark off the trunk to about 3-4" off the ground and from about 3/4 of the trunk of the tree. Presumably he's been chewing the roots too.

I ran to the hardware store and got a Gopherhawk trap, but what can I do for the tree? It's a mature tree, probably 10-15 years old from what we know of the house's history, and covered with lemons at the moment. Will it survive with so much bark gone? I know most of the nutrients in the tree travel through that outer layer rather than the actual wood. If there's a chance for survival, should I leave it alone? Coat with pruning sealer?

I have a whole new appreciation for the movie Caddyshack now....