The leaves, bark, fruit, and seeds of trees are food sources for many animals, potentially causing damage while they feed. Porcupines, squirrels, deer, and sapsuckers are common examples.

What is the damage?

• Sapsuckers feed on sap and sapwood by excavating rows of holes in thin-barked trees. Porcupines and squirrels strip tree bark as a food source. These wounds provide an entry point for pests, diseases, and decay pathogens. Intensive attacks can cause girdling, killing the portion of the tree above the damaged area, and even the entire tree.
• Deer damages foliage and twigs by eating the leaves and fruits. It can cause aesthetic damage, and also loss of fruit production.
• Magpie can be nuisance to human and other birds, they might attack people nearby in hatching season.
• Damages are usually minor, but it might turn to a threat for the tree especially the tree is under stressed by other factors.

What to do?

• Keep your tree healthy to be able to withstand minor damage from animals.
• Wrap your tree with chicken wire around the tree base to prevent animals climb up the tree.
• Wrap burlap around branches to prevent animal biting.
• Held reflective straps or CD disc that reflect light can deter birds.
• Repair damaged tree by proper pruning.