Young Apple Tree badly chomped by rabbits has active buds on top - what to do?

We have a 4-ish year old apple tree that was considerably girdled by rabbits this winter, plus they ate ALL the side branches. Only the central leader remains, at about 1.5 meters tall, and has quite a few buds on top. It looks like a gangly giant whip.

Should I cut down the central leader now, to encourage lower branching and help it get back into proportion (if that's even possible,) or hold back and let it proceed naturally?

Is there a good chance for recovery of the girdled bark with the tree showing so much bud action on top?

Thanks very much in advance for your ideas/input!

 

A central leader 1.5 m tall is a good height to leave alone. I wouldn't want any branches lower than that. However, if the trunk is badly girdled, it might not be worth saving. You could buy a replacement that is just as tall and would grow a lot faster than your girdled tree. There is also the risk that the girdled area will start rotting and eventually kill the tree. A lot depends on the extent of the girdling.

 

Thanks vitog.

I'm not sure what extent of girdling will cause permanent damage. What I see is extensive in surface area (spans about 12 cm height of the tree trunk,) yet it doesn't appear to be deep at all - so the external bark is gone, but not much else seems to be exposed.

Does this kind of damage still take its toll long-term even if the tree does well this year and next?

Thanks again.

 

If the cambium layer under the bark has been removed all around the trunk, then the tree will die unless you can connect the cambium across the girdled area with bridge grafts. If the cambium is intact, then the tree will recover easily. Photos of the damaged area would be helpful.

 

OK, thank you. Will work on the pictures.