Poplar Damage -- your thoughts?

[John Russell]

I have a lot of young poplars (8 - 13 yrs old) suffering damage. The bark is missing in patches and then often this leads to the lead breaking off or top dying at 12 ft+ above ground level. It's been suggested to me that it's squirrels but a) I haven't seen that many squirrels about and b) it's just poplars that are suffering -- oaks, ashes, alders, birch and other tress alongside are unaffected. It happened a lot two years ago when we had a dry spell but then last year and this year when we've had no shortage of rain it seems just as bad.

 

The trees are growing in a high rainfall area (the SW) on very heavy clay (and I mean heavy clay -- the sort you can make pots with straight from the ground).

 

Here's a few pics from my mobile 'phone. Any ideas very welcome.

 

Best wishes,

 

John Russell

[defenderjack]

I have a lot of young poplars (8 - 13 yrs old) suffering damage. The bark is missing in patches and then often this leads to the lead breaking off or top dying at 12 ft+ above ground level. It's been suggested to me that it's squirrels but a) I haven't seen that many squirrels about and b) it's just poplars that are suffering -- oaks, ashes, alders, birch and other tress alongside are unaffected. It happened a lot two years ago when we had a dry spell but then last year and this year when we've had no shortage of rain it seems just as bad.

 

The trees are growing in a high rainfall area (the SW) on very heavy clay (and I mean heavy clay -- the sort you can make pots with straight from the ground).

 

Here's a few pics from my mobile 'phone. Any ideas very welcome.

 

Best wishes,

 

John Russell

 

id go with squirrels ,even though you havnt seen them now it could have been done during winter when food was scarce due to snow etc

[David Humphries]

I would of thought Squirrel ?

 

 

 

 

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[Stephen Blair]

squirrel for sure, they could of stripped it a few years back and this is now the result.

[John Russell]

Thanks! Seems like it could be squirrels then!

 

Do squirrels particularly like poplar -- as they seem to leave all the other trees alone? Note that these poplars are spread randomly amongst 45 acres of assorted indigenous species, but only the poplars get it. Is there something about polar bark that makes it particularly attractive?

[Daniël Bos]

Thanks! Seems like it could be squirrels then!

 

Do squirrels particularly like poplar -- as they seem to leave all the other trees alone? Note that these poplars are spread randomly amongst 45 acres of assorted indigenous species, but only the poplars get it. Is there something about polar bark that makes it particularly attractive?

 

I heard it's very poplar with squirels.

 

Sorry, I'll get my coat.

[Old Mill Tree Care]

Squirrels know which trees are the easiest to chew throughout the bark on so they'll typically select Beech, Ash, hornbeam, Poplar.

I don't know why they don't bother much with Birch as they have thin bark. Hopefully someone else can provide the answer for that.