"Matt" wrote in message
...

I have a couple of big silver maples, 40 years old and about three feet
in diameter.

stuff snipped

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

You can buy commercial repellents designed to deter squirrels. Gardening
stores often sell repellent sprays, which have a bitter taste that deters
squirrels from gnawing on trees. Repellents containing thiram or capsaicin
(same as the pepper spray used to repel OWS'ers g) work well to deter
squirrels. You can make your own with ground pepper or pepper oil. Some
people use shields - a 1 or 2 foot band of thin metal sheeting around the
trunk of the tree allegedly keeps squirrels from climbing above the metal
band. This remedy does not work when trees are close together or squirrels
have an aerial path to the tree trunk. Plus, it looks like hell.

Personally, I use three Hav-a-hart traps baited with pudding cups with
peanut butter smeared on the inside. I tie one of the cups just beyond the
trap treadle and the other I place at the entrance to the trap. The traps
have two doors so that it can be set to catch animals that are shy about
entering an enclosed space. I've found over the years that too many of them
were able to zoom out head first as soon as they heard the trap closing and
were able to escape before the trap closed.

Now, after they feast on the freebie at the entrance to the trap, all but
one or two of the oldest, wisest and fattest squirrels enter to get the
second cup. They walk all around it first, and even climb on top of it,
trying to avoid entering the trap. Some even leave for a while. But they
almost always come back for that second cup. Since they are nose first in
the trap, the doors swats them on the butt and they actually move further
inside and help the trap to shut.

I used to transport them in a small animal carrier to the big agricultural
park a few miles from here until one got loose in the van on the way to his
new home. Now they are relocated to squirrel heaven. I had one get into my
house when I was gone for a week. I came into the house, saw stuff strewn
around, drapes pulled down and finally, when

I went to take a leak, I saw the rim of the toilet bowl was covered with
dirt! "Who on earth," I thought, "would break into my house to stand on the
toilet with very dirty shoes?" After hours and hours of searching I found
Rocky wedged into a tiny space behind the over. I had borrowed my friend's
cat (and him) to help in the hunt. The cat was sitting in a carrier in the
living room when we heard the squirrel barking as we got near the stove. At
the time I didn't know the wide range of noises squirrels can make so I
didn't know at first WHAT was behind the oven.

I made a loopstick out of phone wire and some old oak picture framing and
yanked him out - the fattest squirrel I had ever seen - he made the oak bend
he was so heavy. Then with the squirrel fighting and chattering like a
whirling dervish, my friend opened the window and out went the squirrel and
loopstick. All the while we're doing this, the poor cat locked in the
carrier in the other room starts yowling away, apparently thinking whatever
is happening to the squirrel in the other room was going to happen to her
next. It was quiet a welcome home party.

--
Bobby G.