Tree damage from squirrels

I get a kick out of watching the squirrels scamper through the trees in my back yard. Squirrels can cause tree damage by gnawing, but ours are so busy raiding the bird feeders I haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Bob Pierce is an extension fish and wildlife specialist at the University of Missouri. He says squirrels have a variety of food habits, but during winter, those habits change as acorns and other nut crops are used up. Sometimes the tree becomes a convenient snack.

"If it's a young tree they might gnaw on the base of the tree or the lower trunk. They'll often cut the growing tips of buds, that seems to be a very good food item for them during the wintertime, and usually it's the point of the growing stem that they like to eat," says Pierce. "It's tender, it's pretty nutritious, and that's the type of damage that will occur."

Usually the damage is just cosmetic and the tree will be fine. Pierce says you have to decide if gnawing squirrels are causing enough of a problem to do something about it. They especially love to chew on walnut, pecan, and other nut trees, which can cause economic damage.

"I guess the question is, how valuable are the trees that you're concerned with, and whether or not you can tolerate any damage or not," he says. "Some trees, of course, produce very valuable crops whether it be nut crops, or ornamental trees, and you don't want to tolerate much damage to those."

You can offer squirrels an alternative food source such as corn. If that doesn't work, other control methods include metal tree wraps, repellants, and traps. But keep in mind that squirrels can spend all day trying to outsmart you. 

Pierce says the most permanent method of removal from a prized tree is to get a squirrel hunting license.