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General Forestry => Ask The Forester => Topic started by: DewCreekDude on February 10, 2020, 03:36:58 PM

Title: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: DewCreekDude on February 10, 2020, 03:36:58 PM
First post. Y'all be gentle. ;D

I suppose this damage could be from years ago. None of the trees are 100% girdled. Didn't see any that are dead.

(Been lurking and reading for a couple of months. The knowledge and friendly attitudes here are much appreciated.)

Edited to add that this is north central Mississippi.


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/58267/tree_damage.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1581366639)
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: Southside on February 10, 2020, 04:01:20 PM
Can I hunt your farm? I have a .338 Lapua that SHOULD be big enough for that buck if I am close enough.  :D

Seriously though that looks like old logging damage from a skidder using those trees to bump tree length wood through a turn. 
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: Pine Ridge on February 10, 2020, 07:32:19 PM
Could be from fire, i see another one in the background thats scarred also.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: DewCreekDude on February 10, 2020, 09:43:01 PM
Southside, yeah it would take a big deer if it was recently. :D I thought maybe it could be 20 year old rubs.

Pine Ridge, there are 10-20 trees like this - hundreds all around with no damage. Don't think it was any major fire there. Might be heavy equipment damage but these are scattered along a runoff ditch/stream that would be difficult for eqpt. access without leaving the terrain torn up.

Thanks for the replies.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: Magicman on February 10, 2020, 10:38:38 PM
Beavers.  I can show you plenty of Sweetgum trees along the creek on my property with very similar damage.

How about filling in your Profile with your location, etc. so that we will know/remember, and Welcome to the Forestry Forum.  :)
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: Southside on February 10, 2020, 10:44:58 PM
Well with that info two things come to mind.  A massive water event could have carried off trash that would damage trees in such a fashion - I don't think I have ever seen it happen but with the right soil conditions I can see where it would.  The other idea is that during a previous harvest, which damaged the trees, the runoff ditch was created from skidding on ground way too soft.  They may have graded the tire ruts out but the entire depression was permanent.  The closest tree has a big poision ivy vine broken off at the same height as the bark line, so I think it's a result of logging damage.  

I have the remnants of two roads on our farm that appear on a map from 1865, so they are old, the one was discontinued in the '40s, the other before then.  They are sunken into the ground between 5' and close to 20' in some places.  If you didn't know they were roads one might think it was a natural depression.  Erosion and soil compaction will change the landscape.  
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: Old Greenhorn on February 11, 2020, 07:06:54 AM
Hard to tell from just one photo, but can you say if all the girdled trees are the older ones. From that photo it looks like only the older larger trees have the issue. SO it could be the massive water event that SS proposes which killed everything but those trees and then new growth started after the water was gone. Or some other similar event. Most skidding scars I see hold to one side of the tree. Maybe these trees are just aging out and are all the same age? What does the canopy look like? Any evidence of insect damage?
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: wisconsitom on February 11, 2020, 10:11:55 AM
I think you say near a waterway...and it could be ice damage...but your Mississippi location weakens that thought.  Here in the north, it is not unusual to see trees damaged by ice shoves along lake and stream shorelines.  But I don't know...that skidding idea makes sense as well.  Beavers?  I doubt it.  Beavers-as far as I've ever seen-fell trees.  I haven't seen beavers just gnaw on trees like that.

Buck rubs?  I don't think so.  All of the buck rubs I see are on young trees and virtually never down at ground level like that.  More at the 3 and 4-foot level, etc.  Buck rubs can go all the way down, but these do not resemble buck rubs. 

 Skidder damage from a long-ago careless logging event, or ice damage from a rare cold Mississippi weather event are the two most likely causes, IMO.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: timberking on February 11, 2020, 10:13:58 AM
Magic you are dead on.  Those cute beavers love a sweet gum.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: John Mc on February 11, 2020, 10:32:42 AM
Quote from: wisconsitom on February 11, 2020, 10:11:55 AMBeavers? I doubt it. Beavers-as far as I've ever seen-fell trees. I haven't seen beavers just gnaw on trees like that.


I've seen it. They girdled a bunch of yellow birch on a site I visited several years ago - just about wiped out every one in the stand near their pond until the non-profit that owned the land put some heavy wire screens around the trunks.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: DewCreekDude on February 11, 2020, 10:51:35 AM
I'm thinking that Magic has the correct answer. Beavers was actually my first thought but I dismissed it after walking all around there and not finding any other beaver signs. I presume it happened years ago and any other damage is no longer evident.

Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: John Mc on February 11, 2020, 10:52:34 AM
Quote from: DewCreekDude on February 11, 2020, 10:51:35 AMI presume it happened years ago and any other damage is no longer evident.


THe damage does not look recent from what I can see.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: WDH on February 11, 2020, 08:43:41 PM
Yes, beavers.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: mitchstockdale on February 13, 2020, 02:19:42 PM
I have had similar damage on several yellow birch on my property from porcupines.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: luap on February 13, 2020, 02:39:03 PM
I have similar damage done to red pine trees by beaver that was done in the springtime. They were after the sap and never damaged the wood under the bark. I had to wrap the trees with felt to prevent further damage. Never killed the trees.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: Cub on February 13, 2020, 10:48:50 PM
I've seen many of hard maple trees with one side dead streaks like that right next to woods roads used to gather maple sap for the last 100+ years. Boss always told me that the compaction year after year kill the top roots. Similar to grazing cattle in a forest. 
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: stavebuyer on February 14, 2020, 03:12:29 AM
Beavers.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: KEC on February 14, 2020, 07:52:08 PM
I agree with beavers. They don't always chew to cut trees down. They have to chew all the time because, as rodents, their incisor teeth grow throughout their life so they have to keep them worn back. The front surface of their teeth are harder than the rest of the tooth causing the tooth to wear and create a bevel on the end of the teeth, thus self-sharpening. Thinking about this though, here in the North in a harsh winter deer sometimes gnaw on trees such as Staghorn Sumac for the inner bark/cambium. I don't know if this might be the case here.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: WDH on February 14, 2020, 08:41:19 PM
Beavers eat the inner bark of trees and bushes.  That is their main food source. 
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: roger 4400 on February 16, 2020, 02:50:50 PM
Do you have porcupines in your area ?? Some of my maples look the same and it is porcupines they love sugar.
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: RichTired on February 16, 2020, 06:51:38 PM
x2 what Magicman said, I had some beavers dam up my little creek and they took a few trees down and damaged some others ones that looked just like that.


(https://forestryforum.com/gallery/albums/userpics/50090/Beaver-Damage-Cottonwood_28229.jpg?easyrotate_cache=1581897082)
 
Title: Re: Trees partially girdled. Deer?
Post by: Nebraska on February 17, 2020, 08:01:21 AM
Looks like the beaver damage around here from last year's flooding here, it also matches the upstream ice damage the trees got during  the initial flush of water.  But you don't get big slabs of ice to do down there.  It would be more fun if that was a giant line of rubs, I'd like to see the trail camera photo's from that deer! 8)