Damage to trees can be caused by anything and everything. The most common kind of damage is caused by none other than small animals. They may be small, but they can cause mighty damage. Some damages can be severe and force you to consider tree removal. If you do, hire tree cutting services and avoid DIYing it. Here is everything you need to know about dealing with animal-damaged trees.

Tree Damage Caused By Animals

There is a whole list of animals that can damage trees. Some of those culprits include mice, rabbits, birds, and even deer. They can wander in the residential areas, and shooing them away just doesn’t do the trick. Well, here is a whole list of damages that animals can cause.

Tree Wounds

First and foremost, tree wounds are caused by many animals. Birds tend to peck their beaks into the trees and cause small holes. Mice can chew on the peeled barks of the tree and cause gaping holes in it and rabbits can do the same.

Well, these holes might seem harmless now, but since they’re small and not very invasive, over time, the wound can deepen and it can cause a host of problems to your tree. It can affect the internal systems of the tree and just lead to disaster.

Overall Bad Health

Because of the nibbling of the trees, leaving marks and holes in it can cause the health of the tree to worsen over time. Now, even though trees are natural homes for a lot of animals, these very residents can cause damage to the very walls they live within.

They can deteriorate the tree and that is just something that trees are not able to handle. So, if you have a lot of animals taking shelter in the tree and they have made permanent homes inside them, then damage won’t be far away and it won’t be pretty. Bad tree health may be a sign that it’s time remove the tree.

Damage To The Trunk

The trunk of the tree is a very secure part, but it’s not indestructible. It can succumb to damage caused by small critters and it’s very invasive. The trunk of the tree holds all of the important stuff.

The vascular system, the passages for water and nutrients to reach everywhere in the tree and other things, and the trunk is a safety shield against all of the external agents that can induce damage. So, if the trunk is damaged, then the tree is very compromised when it comes to health and it won’t be long before the tree eventually dies.

Rubbing Induced Damage

A lot of the time, you can see deer in residential areas and while they’re a sight to be seen, they’re not going to be the best of beings for the trees. Deer tend to rub themselves against the tree, sometimes even with their heads and the huge antlers can cause a great deal of damage to the tree.

Sometimes, deer will even rub all around the tree and this will affect the barks and trunk the most. So, it can lead to the wilting of the tree and ultimately, it won’t be far away from the inevitable – that is death.

Wilted Trees And Flowers

If you see wilting flowers, dead leaves, and very bad fruit in the trees, then this is because of the vascular system of the tree being damaged. This is serious because the vascular system of the tree is similar to a human one.

It is responsible for gathering and flowing all of the nutrients from the ground and roots into the rest of the tree. So, if this part of the tree is compromised, then it will lead to a lot of damage to the trees and you don’t want to see how it ends, because it won’t be good. If your tree health is deteriorating, call in tree services Kensington for an inspection.

What To Do Now?

Now that you know what trees can go through at the hands of these animals, here is what you can do about it.

Repellent To The Rescue

There are lots of animal repellents out there, that are not exactly harmful to animals, but they do a great job of keeping them away from the trees. The best part? They don’t cause any damage to trees either. So, when you are certain that an animal is causing damage to the tree, then you want to get a repellent suited for the tree and animal.

Apply this repellent all over the tree and you’ll see that animals will stay far away from it. Your tree will be safe and happy for many years to come. Amazing, isn’t it?

Use Tree Guards

If you want to protect your tree and go the extra mile then you want to invest in a tree guard. A tree guard is a fence but only for the tree. It protects the tree from critters and they can’t even reach the tree, especially if the animals are land animals.

It is made out of a fencing material and it goes all around the tree, making it impossible for the animals to climb on it and damage it in any way. So, if you want to go the extra mile, then tree guards are the way to go.

Natural Predators

If you have a recurring problem of small animals always attacking the tree, then one of the best and natural ways of getting rid of the culprits once and for all is to introduce natural predators. Big birds for rabbits, smaller pecking birds for insects, and small insects for worms and things like that, are perfect to deal with the animals.

They will hunt the culprits naturally and they will keep the tree in good shape. This is something great to consider if you want to permanently deal with the problem of damaged trees and keep them in good health.

Add Fences

One of the great things to keep deer at bay is to use fences. Deer usually don’t wander around in restricted areas, so if an area is closed for any kind of entry, then a deer won’t take its chances. This is a great way to secure your house border too.

You want to make sure that the fence borders your house completely, as this will keep not only animals but every other kind of trespasser away. Fences are inexpensive and they’re strong so they won’t be going anywhere anytime soon, which is good in the long run.

Keep The Tree Clean

You also want to keep the tree neat and clean. If the tree is surrounded by weeds, dead leaves, and whatnot, then this is the perfect ground for mice and rabbits to gather around and eventually take refuge in trees.

Always make sure that there is nothing surrounding the tree and if you see any small gaps or holes in the trees, then those are the animal’s homes and you want to destroy them so that the critters can’t find anywhere else in the tree to stay and damage it later on.

Conclusion

Animal-damaged trees can also deteriorate over time, especially if you’re not too careful when looking after them. In that case, it’s better to cut down the tree by consulting tree removal companies Bethesda.