There has always been some squirrel damage, but recently it has got really bad. In the past they have often taken the bark off Beech trees, particularly in early Spring. I think this is because at that time the sap is rising and it contains sugar, and  also at that time there is not much else around for them to eat, all the nuts and berries will be consumed and there are no flowers so no nectar and Beech bark is also nice and smooth so they can get their teeth into it somewhat easier than Oak bark.

Recently it has been the Silver Birches that they have been having a go at. These are the young Birches that have recolonised after felling and are now about 10 years old. They go for the ones that have developed into good trees. I have been thinning the Birches out in some areas and as a result they have grown much better than where they are growing in dense groups and all competing with one another. Some are about 20cm in diameter at the base and maybe 6 to 8meters tall, so coming on quite nicely.

 

These are the ones the squirrels are attacking. They remove all the bark but they start at a height of about 2/3 Meters up and then just remove a band of about 50 cm. This of course kills the tree above this point and the leaves go brown and then the wind snaps the top off as the wood starts to dry out and get brittle.

They are attacking lots of trees, they target the best ones the thin smaller ones are not touched, So far I would estimate that they have killed about 25% of the good trees. This has only really started this year so at this rate they will have attacked all the good Silver Birches in the next 4 years.

How the trees will react I don’t know, probably they will develop like a pollard only a very tall pollard