Appreciate Persistence

"Knowing trees, I understand the meaning of patience. Knowing grass, I can appreciate persistence." H. Borland

Wood chips are a great option to establish a boundary between your tree and your lawn. The key is to spread the wood chips on the ground around the root system of the tree about 4" thick but not actually touch the trunk with the wood chips - leaving a 6" gap for airflow between the wood chips and the trunk. This photo shows a misguided attempt at helping a tree as the pile of wood chips touching the trunk will likely do more harm than good.