squirrel attack

[bigbaddom]

Hello

Something puzzling me and I would like your advice please. 

 

I trimmed the sycamore in the photo about June last year just before the drought and it reacted very poorly. Specifically I removed any  dead branches of which there weren't that many of any size. There was a hefty branch that had broken off and I merely removed it without a live cut. I don't think I took off more than about 10-15% in volume. It seemed to react poorly - leaves started shedding except for one smallish area that retained leaves. The tree is in a back garden, I don't think ground compaction is an issue.

The photo is taken this year - there is the start of some leaf growth at the top left in that small area that did well. I am curious because all the sycamores around - I am in London, seem to be in leaf. The squirrels I believe caused the damage which led to the  previous branch death. Looking at the tree now I can see maybe half-a-dozen branches stripped bare by the squirrels.

 

So, what's the prognosis?

Is the tree just slow to come into leaf?

Could last year's trim have been the death knoll?

Can trees have some really bad years of semi-dormancy before springing back?

Can squirrel activity be as bad as to kill a tree?

 

Many thanks

Dom

[timbernut]

Squirrels can definately kill a tree live had a couple of 8” dbh hornbeams completely bark stripped by them, apparently this is done, mostly, by juveniles in the spring. Don’t really know about sycamore though except we found some with little rings of bite marks around diameter of them on the trunks and presumed it was the grey devils. Also sycamore well in leaf around here.

[Dan Maynard]

The other part, last year's removal of dead material doesn't sound like it would make any difference at all, it's when you remove live material and hence reduce leaf area of the tree it matters, which is what the squirrels have done.

A vigorous sycamore would just sprout back from 15% reduction anyway.

[Baldbloke]

Hello

Something puzzling me and I would like your advice please. 

 

I trimmed the sycamore in the photo about June last year just before the drought and it reacted very poorly. Specifically I removed any  dead branches of which there weren't that many of any size. There was a hefty branch that had broken off and I merely removed it without a live cut. I don't think I took off more than about 10-15% in volume. It seemed to react poorly - leaves started shedding except for one smallish area that retained leaves. The tree is in a back garden, I don't think ground compaction is an issue.

The photo is taken this year - there is the start of some leaf growth at the top left in that small area that did well. I am curious because all the sycamores around - I am in London, seem to be in leaf. The squirrels I believe caused the damage which led to the  previous branch death. Looking at the tree now I can see maybe half-a-dozen branches stripped bare by the squirrels.

 

So, what's the prognosis?

Is the tree just slow to come into leaf?

Could last year's trim have been the death knoll?

Can trees have some really bad years of semi-dormancy before springing back?

Can squirrel activity be as bad as to kill a tree?

 

Many thanks

Dom

 

Last years drought?

 

Put a post on last night to that effect asking whether others have experienced similar problems. I seem to be losing two Beech trees through either last years drought or age. Trees about 200 years old growing in heavy clay soils

 

As has already been said, a Sycamore is difficult to kill by pruning

[peatff]

A stand of 7 large Sycamores in the local park have all died and been removed in the last 2 years, healthy one year then completely dead down one side for no apparent reason.