After reading about Planet Fig's trials (http://planetfig.com/articles/fareng2584.html), I am now concerned about mice and other small rodents. What good does it do if you have the hardiest fig cultivars if the mice or other rodents destroy the bark and, in turn, the plants?

In your experience, what is the best way to protect a fig tree's lower bark from rodents like mice and rats?

Any advice is greatly appreciated!

When I cover my in ground trees the first thing I do is put one bag of rat poison near the base of tree.

I heard of people using moth balls when they wrap their trees.

If you use moth balls you should put them in little plastic containers with holes drilled into the sides so that the moisture doesn't cause them to dissolve. Plant skyd makes a product that you can sprinkle around plants but I don't know how well it works and it is kind of expensive.

Rodents are my biggest challenge to winter protected figs.  

Last year I was pleasantly surprised since had comparatively very little damage. 
When I uncovered the last fig tree I found out why.  I froze and watched as a small 12" mother weasel and 9 tiny weasel babies had made a nest in the fig covering.  She must have fed all winter on the voles since there was a large ball of mouse fur.  Wish I had my camera handy.  I watched as she moved her 9 babies one at a  time to where I store the doors and boards a few yards away.  First time I have seen weasels.

Everyone has their own way to protect their figs. 
Unfortunately I don't know how to attract a weasel family again so what I did last year was protect the trunks with mouse guards and some hardware cloth. It seems to have worked.  Whatever was protected did not get eaten whatever was bare was rodent lunch. 

By the way no mold was evident under the mouse guards.  Will post some photos when I have time.

if you use moth ball  use two  plastic berry baskets from the grocery store   wire them together.   :)

Hardware cloth with pointy side down or drainage tile wrapped around the trunk.  Hardware cloth can 'grow with the tree' (expand) and won't heat up like black drainage tile might.

Just One Bite    bars    mouse and rat killer     I call them "Varmit  Power Bars"    I put them in a orchid basket and hang near my fruit .  Squirrel eat and then just disappear.

Everyone has their own way to protect their trees.
You'll have to experiment to see what works for you.
For me I use a combination of things.
Rodents do not like garlic so I grind it up and rub it on the trunks.
I use hardware cloth on some on the trunks and also use mothballs in shallow containers.
And lastly I use a lot of mouse traps in the garage where potted trees are stored for winter
and put at least two at the base of every in ground tree.
After having a few trees completely disappear, it's been all out war to all chewing rodents.

Do the vinyl tree guards work against rodents? Amazon offers a variety of different ones. Some of my apple trees seem to have been attacked by some chewing animal and I've had to use them there. The wrap expands as the tree grows.
The biggest threat to the bark is the gardener's weed trimmer. I use vinyl wraps on some of my more exposed trees.
http://www.amazon.com/Walter-Clark-Vinyl-Guard-00424/dp/B0016AJCD4/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1461943075&sr=8-5&keywords=tree+trunk+protectors

Thanks for all the great advice, guys. Your experience and wisdom are off the charts.

If in pot, make sure you place your pots in a way that rodents could not climb to get inside pot. They usually don't climb over plastic unless they have a way in, plastic is too slippery for them especially if pot is large enough. If in ground, put one or two poison station close by especially during the winter months. It should keep them busy until they drop dead.