Mysterious Tree Damage

[ApS]

Originally Posted by barefootbay

Bark looks like Beech .

I saw that too.

Here's a bunch more, with Beech first, and White Ash at the bottom-middle.

Northern Ash displays its leaves in 5-leaf bunches—I don't know about White Ash.



Newbiesaukee's photo (left), but on the same page as the above, the right photo illustrates beaver damage to a Beech tree—according to the forester.



https://www.americanforests.org/maga...guage-of-bark/

What does he know—anyway?

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Just found the clincher—it's squirrel damage:

"Trees gnawed on by squirrels will usually have the ground beneath them littered with narrow, about 1/2-inch wide, strips of bark. This is usually not the case with porcupines as they consume the bark. While bark is an essential part of a porcupine’s diet, no one knows why squirrels gnaw and strip the bark off trees. They may be fulfilling some nutritional need in their diet..."
See more at: http://igrow.org/gardens/trees-and-f....rJ6sEF65.dpuf

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[Newbiesaukee]

My friend also visited my neighbor. Still not sure as the teeth marks look like porcupine photos from internet but I still like beaver.

[ApS]

Your original photo doesn't have anything alongside for comparison of bite-sizes. But it does have what appears to be incisor "try-bites" at the upper right. The marks appear to be betwixt porcupine and squirrel. (More towards porcupine—but there's no real "standard" for a measurement present).

If they are measured against your neighbor's beaver-bite bark damage, it may become clear that the incisor "try-bites" are the smaller two of the three animals. (Clearing the beaver of tree-assault-and-battery).



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