A Bark Eating Animal/Rodent

Barebuttminer · February 16, 2012, 04:55:30 PM

A Bark Eating Animal/Rodent
Questions:
Has anyone seen this type of damage before?
What type of animal/rodent might be causing this damage to my tree?
What can I do to stop this damage and protect the tree?

I have a mulberry tree that is having its bark eaten away by an unknown animal/rodent.
I noticed this damage on one of the limbs a little over a week ago Feb 7th. Pictures were taken on the 12th threw the 16th.
The damage begins at a spot 6 feet from the ground where the limb is about 3" in diameter and extends 30" up the limb, as of Feb 16th.
1 to 2 square inches of bark is being removed nightly.
There is virtually no wood or bark chips on the ground under the limb, less than a teaspoon full. The chips that are there are very small less than 1/8".
There is a honeysuckle vine being supported by this limb. There is no damage to the honeysuckle bark.
The bark on the mulberry tree where the honeysuckle branches touch or are in close proximity to it has not been removed.
I have skunks and opossum in the area but I've never known of them too eat the bark off of trees.
The tree is located in Elverta, CA a small community in the Sacramento Valley just north of Sacramento.

RynSmith · February 16, 2012, 04:58:09 PM

Porcupine is my guess.

Burlkraft · February 16, 2012, 05:16:43 PM

Man..That sucker was hungry!

POSTON WIDEHEAD · February 16, 2012, 05:22:27 PM

Could it be a BEAVER with a LADDER? I've never seen anything like this.

Are you testing a new De-Barker for Woodmizer? :D

This was on the Internet:
Garden pests often sneak in at night, making it difficult to identify the culprit. Many kinds of wild animals feed on the bark of trees, including fruitless mulberry. The primary bark-eating offenders are mice, voles, rabbits, squirrels and deer.

Read more: What Eats the Bark Off a Mulberry Tree? | eHow.com http://www.ehow.com/info_8612615_eats-off-fruitless-mulberry-tree.html#ixzz1maQ5cQ4K

Al_Smith · February 16, 2012, 05:27:17 PM

I'd say porcupine also .

Chuck White · February 16, 2012, 05:31:31 PM

Definately porcupine!

OntarioAl · February 16, 2012, 05:39:35 PM

Sure looks like a porcupine was feasting on that tree.
Al

Jeff · February 16, 2012, 06:12:10 PM

Yup I'd say a Porky.

snowstorm · February 16, 2012, 06:14:35 PM

yup pig pine used to be a bounty on them when i was a kid. $.50 fot there feet. my mom worked for the town so she paid the bounty. she would never look in the paper bag to see if they were there or not. most were killed by hitting them in the nose with whatever they had

sandhills · February 16, 2012, 10:42:04 PM

Only thing I could add is it's a fat porcupine :-\.

WDH · February 16, 2012, 10:45:00 PM

It would probably fry up good. That is amazing. I am glad that we do not have them in the deep south, but, we do have our share of noxious critters, though.

Barebuttminer · February 17, 2012, 12:01:29 AM

Quote from: POSTONLT40HD on February 16, 2012, 05:22:27 PM
Could it be a BEAVER with a LADDER? I've never seen anything like this.

Are you testing a new De-Barker for Woodmizer? :D

Very funny POSTONT40HD you even got a good chuckle from Mama on that one. She wants to know "where would a beaver get a ladder?"
Do you think that if I called Woodmizer that they might be interested in a bark powered de-barker? Not only de-barks but also removes it from the area with little to no clean up.
I've been using an axe to remove bark then pushing it onto the landing and driving the dozer over it to finish busting it up and grind it into the dirt.

Well it looks like the consensus is that my mystery animal is a porcupine. Although I've lived in this area for over 40 years and have never seen or heard of any sightings of them here doesn't mean that they are not here. Maybe all the urban sprawl and development that's been going on around the area is pushing them my way. I just don't understand why they have to build housing tracks & shopping centers on prime farm land.
Anyway back to my mulberry tree, I called the county wildlife department and left a message. I'm now waiting for a call back sometime tomorrow from Trapper Steve, hoping that he can shed some more light on the subject.
Thank you all for your responses, now I'll probably spend the rest of my evening surfing the web looking for any thing and every thing to do with porcupines. And of course catch up on the posts in the forestry forum.
Thank You
BBM

sandhills · February 17, 2012, 02:58:12 AM

BBM, in 38 years of living here (my entire life) I've seen exactly 2 live porcupines, but have seen the damage they do to trees. I always knew they were around you just never see them.

thecfarm · February 17, 2012, 09:00:51 AM

I've seen a few trees like that. I have no idea where the tree is meaning in town so you can't shoot it. By the looks he is not living too far away. Check it quite often through the day,you might catch him up there. I've killed a few up a tree before. But I think a fence around it MIGHT slow it down. They are a kinda slow moving animal I can caught up to them with a club to hit them on the nose. I have used just about every tool or rocks to kill them things. No chainsaw yet though.

Magicman · February 17, 2012, 09:16:00 AM

I'm glad that we don't have Porkys, because somebody would surely be trying gumbo. :-\ Yuck !!!

LOGDOG · February 17, 2012, 09:18:58 AM

Quote from: Magicman on February 17, 2012, 09:16:00 AM
I'm glad that we don't have Porkys, because somebody would surely be trying gumbo. :-\ Yuck !!!

You know that's right Magicman. I bet they'd taste better than beaver or raccoon though.

I always liked having porcupines around up North. Always made me smile when I'd see them waddling around. Not so much if your dog got a nose full of quills or if they stripped your yard tree of its bark, but an interesting animal.

thecfarm · February 17, 2012, 09:22:33 AM

Them thing will damage trees. I've seem them climb out on red oak limbs and chew the limb off so the branch and acorns would hit the ground. He hit the ground too when I got done with him.

Chuck White · February 17, 2012, 09:28:34 AM

Here, most people shoot them on sight.

They do damage a lot of good timber.

Burlkraft · February 17, 2012, 09:37:31 AM

I saw a certain wanna be Yooper jump outta my truck and chase a porky through the woods to get a picture :D :D :D

I wish I wudda had my camera goin'

west penn · February 17, 2012, 04:32:03 PM

We have a camp near the alleghenny national forest that we had to cover with metal because the porcys were eating the siding right down to the studs. Not allowed to shoot any animals in Pa that doesn't have a season for hunting!

Shotgun · February 17, 2012, 04:37:37 PM

Quote from: west penn on February 17, 2012, 04:32:03 PM
We have a camp near the alleghenny national forest that we had to cover with metal because the porcys were eating the siding right down to the studs. Not allowed to shoot any animals in Pa that doesn't have a season for hunting!

Was your siding T1-11? Just curious.

Norm

POSTON WIDEHEAD · February 17, 2012, 04:43:14 PM

Very funny POSTONT40HD you even got a good chuckle from Mama on that one. She wants to know "where would a beaver get a ladder?"
.
[/quote] from BAREBUTTMINER

They get their ladders from LOWE'S. I saw 2 Beavers in Lowe's this afternoon getting a ladder. I ask them where they were going? They said "Nevada City"...... :D :D :D