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Matt[_7_] Matt[_7_] is offline
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Default squirrels attacking maple trees

On 12/29/2011 03:47 PM, Hell Toupee wrote:
On 12/29/2011 2:54 PM, Matt wrote:
I have a couple of big silver maples, 40 years old and about three
feet in diameter.


I've noticed in the past few years that fox squirrels are trying to
dig a hole in each tree by clawing and biting. Each wound is in the
trunk, about chest high, where a small limb has been removed years ago
and the trunk is growing out around the stub. So there is already a
kind of recess in the trunk, and they are trying to turn it into a
hole. I have noticed that sometimes a lot of thin sap runs out of the
wound and wets the side of the trunk. Sometimes woodpeckers also do
their work on the same wound.


What is the best way to stop the damage and make the trees live longer?


They can't claw away healthy wood. They're removing rotting wood to make
a nest. It won't necessarily injure the tree - this is, after all, how
wild squirrels make their homes - but if a tree has several such holes,
you may want to have an arborist give you an evaluation of the overall
health of the tree.

Usually, once you get a hole in the trunk, you get decay starting in it.
It used to be advised to fill the hole with cement, but they've found
that doesn't stem the progress of the decay. Usually you can keep the
tree well-watered and healthy for several more years, although if the
decay eventually becomes substantial you'll have to take it down. Like I
said, ask an arborist for an opinion. Some cities have arborists on
staff; if your city does, you can probably get a free consult.




Yes, I know they are trying to provide housing to their descendants and
kill off a tree that provides no food, while they are planting acorns
all around.

They are causing injury to the outer layer of wood (the new growth
ring). They are biting and digging through bark and into healthy wood.
They are not mainly removing rotting wood. The trees are mainly healthy.