Today is Squirrel Appreciation Day! Squirrels are easy to love for their cunning personalities and cuteness, but they can just as easily become a nuisance when they turn to your trees for nutrition and habitat. Nevertheless, squirrels play an important role in our ecosystem and we can learn to coexist in harmony!
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Bark stripping
Research indicates that bark stripping has a higher occurrence following a “mast year” where trees produce a bumper crop of fruits and seeds, which may correlate with a higher population of juvenile squirrels. Here is an excellent article from Ohio State University about bark stripping.
EATING TREE BUDS
tree trimming to protect young squirrels
In the United States, it’s best to trim your trees between November and January to avoid nesting seasons. Of course, if the tree trimming must take place during nesting, our arborists are careful not to disturb nests. Plenty of foliage should be left around the nests for their protection from predators and the elements.
Keeping squirrels out of your houseAre squirrels finding their way into your home? They can easily jump up to 10 feet from a tree onto your roof and find their way into attics, crawl spaces and chimneys to seek warmth and protection. Let your arborist know if your objective is to prevent this from happening and your tree can be trimmed to clear the house by more than 10 feet. Of course, our best advice is to find where the squirrels are entering and secure the openings.
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Did you miss our previous article…
https://www.treesforeducation.com/?p=141