Tree damage in winter probably not deer — here’s the likely culprit

“I recently discovered damage to the bark on my dawn redwood. Could this be caused by deer? What can I do to prevent more damage?”

— Darren Cosgrove, Palatine

The peeling bark on your dawn redwood was probably caused by squirrels. Deer damage — which is caused by rubbing antlers against the trunks of trees — usually occurs in fall and not winter.

Deer also prefer young, smooth-barked trees to rub. If the damage on the tree goes up into the crown, this indicates it was not a deer rubbing the trunk of the tree. The bark will appear more shredded when a deer is rubbing against the trunk.

The small scrape marks on the trunk of the tree could be from the squirrel’s teeth. I have observed similar damage to maples in this area, with the damage occurring higher up the in the tree. Branches can be girdled and killed if the bark is completely removed from around the branch.

There is not a clear reason why squirrels peel bark, so there is not much you can do to prevent this from occurring or to anticipate when it might happen again. They may be feeding on the sugar-rich phloem, searching for a water source, or wearing down their incisors.

This should not be a problem in the long term for your tree unless the squirrels are able to really peel into the deeper areas of the bark and affect the cambium. A tree in the Chicago Botanic Garden’s Dwarf Conifer Garden showed similar damage last year, and it shows no signs of permanent damage.

Wrapping the trunk would be prudent, however, with the extensive peeling that has occurred, and to discourage more damage to the tree. Your tree should recover from the damage.

For more plant advice, contact the Plant Information Service at the Chicago Botanic Garden at [email protected]. Tim Johnson is senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden.

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