Pond Boss Forums GENERAL QUESTIONS Property Projects & Construction Varmints Chewing at Base of Trees

I have started working at our property now that it has warmed up, and once again I have observed lots of chewing damage at the base of our trees. I don't mind this on some of the crap volunteers out there, but hate it on my recently planted oaks and fruit trees.

Most of the chewing starts just above the root flare and works up the trunk for 8-12". However, it is definitely a climbing critter because sometimes they have chewed higher than my head in trees with small "climbing" branches.

We do have lots of pocket gophers on the land, but the teeth marks look too small for adult gophers. I believe the chewing b*astards are probably prairie voles or meadow voles, but I have never caught them in the act so at this point it is an "unknown" rodent.

My questions for our resident tree experts:

I think putting a ring of standard chicken wire about 12" tall around each trunk is probably my best defense.

1.) Is that mesh small enough to exclude (or deter) "smallish" rodents?

2.) How far out from the trunk should I construct my circle of chicken wire? (I occasionally have to get my hands to the root flare to prune water shoots, re-spread mulch, etc.) Should I make the barrier circumference large enough to get my hands in there, or make the chicken wire "removable"?

3.) I think if the wire is removable, I should probably bury it 1-2" to improve my exclusion. My soil is fairly well-drained, but drought is a significant threat to my trees, so they get spot-watered during dry periods. Will I be cutting important surface roots if I dig down 2" with a hand trowel?

Thanks for any suggestions. It is going to be a lot of work, so I want to get it mostly right on the first pass.

If it's small rodents, if you make the mesh small enough that they can't get through it, what are you going to do to prevent them from climbing up.and then back down the mesh?

Aluminum window screen from walmart or local hardware store. Can cut with scissors. Either wrap and fold around trunk or staple it to itself after wrapping. Only takes 1 layer. Solves vole and rabbit issues. Larger cages to solve deer rubbing issues. Gophers eat roots. Have to trap them. Buy the traps that look like a tube with spring wires that grab them. The other ones that lay fral on the run don't work worth a crap.

That is definitely one of my concerns. However, I was hoping the metal surface and human smell would induce them to pick easier targets?

I am not even positive if they are deriving sustenance from the tree or if they are just wearing down their rodent teeth for comfort. The damage does seem to uniformly go to roughly the same layer of inner bark or cambium.

Thanks catscratch, I may try the window screen idea on a few and see if that helps. (Or if the critters just crawl up the screen and start chewing higher.)

I have lost some trees to pocket gophers chewing through enough of the roots. However, our property is in some loose, sandy soils, so I don't think I can trap enough gophers to make a dent in the population. I may have to grab a couple of the tube traps and throw them in the truck. If I see fresh gopher workings in the areas where I have multiple tree plantings then maybe I can make the trapping worth the effort.

I haven't seen anything that I think is rabbit damage. But we haven't had any long term snows on the ground the last few winters that seems to drive the rabbits to chew on saplings.

I have had armadillos kill a few trees by digging out the grubs living in the roots when my watering providing the only moist soil.

All of the trees have deer protection. The deer really seem to prefer eating the oak and fruit trees. I have a deer camera shot of a small buck standing on his back legs to eat the top off of an oak tree growing out of a 5' tree tube.

Part of my chores this spring is to put weld wire cages on the trees that have grown out of their tubes and to repair the ripped tubes and replace broken zip ties on the shorter trees that the deer assaulted this winter. They are relentless.

I can't even find time to work on fish, since I haven't yet won my land campaign!

I hear ya on the gophers and the deer…. They are relentless. With the gophers: when you see a fresh mound dig until you find the opening and open it up . Sit in chair with .22 mag and usually within minutes he will come to cover it up. Gotta be quick, I put barrel almost in hole and when it shows up bam dead gopher

Sounds like a lawnchair drinking game!

Pat,

Any recommendations on the best time of the day to practice "gopher plinking"?

I have two nephews that might enjoy improving their .22 skills.



I went out again yesterday to do more tree work. The gophers felled an 8' tall persimmon that had grown that big from a bareroot seedling in only two years. I was po'd.

My trees have not budded yet, so I don't know all of my damages. However, I was watering trees prior to putting down fertilizer and found more gopher holes in seemingly undisturbed ground. Several times I would get water starting to pool around the base of a tree when all of a sudden my water would go "whoosh", right down a hole that was not visible when I started watering.

Anybody know a supplier for those Asian walking catfish? If they will wiggle onto land and eat pocket gophers, then I think I am ready to stock a bunch.

Just remembered the name of the trap that the guys I know who are successful at protecting their orchards. Gopherhawk! They swear by it.

Rod anytime a new mound pops up is a good time to set up. I have tried setting traps to no avail

At this point, I am ready to hire Bill Murray's crazy groundskeeper character from Caddy Shack to declare war on the gophers.

I am sure I can turn any craters due to massive explosions into forage ponds!

I once built some solid aluminum and/or tin sleeves to go around the base of my pecan trees. Needed to build them about 6 or 7 feet to keep the squirrels from jumping.

Need to do it again.

I tried building some wrap around plastic it but they chewed through that and used the holes like ladders.,

If you're dealing with pests like voles and rabbits, one thing that's worked for me is using aluminum window screen material. It's affordable and easy to cut, so you can wrap it around the trunk and secure it by stapling it to itself. This provides a nice barrier that these critters can't get through. For bigger problems like deer rubbing, you'll want to consider larger cages around your trees. If you’re looking to add some variety to your landscape, camphor trees can be a great choice. They're sturdy and have a lovely aroma that can enhance your garden. And don't forget, gophers can be a nightmare for the roots, so trapping them with those spring-loaded traps is definitely the way to go.