Knowledgebase
Elm tree bark shedding #843211
Asked July 29, 2023, 3:38 PM EDT
Throughout the summer, I have what looks like shredded bark under my elm tree. Attached is a picture. When fresh they may have a damp or wet, shiny look to them on the outside bark.
Is this from squirrels, insects or parasites? I do have quite a number of squirrels due to the neighbor feeding them.
Thank you.
Arapahoe County Colorado
Expert Response
HI
My name is Courtney, the Master Gardener assigned to help with your question. Thanks for the picture of the bark. I can’t determine from your picture of fallen bark, how big the pieces are, if one or both sides of the bark piece are damp or sticky. Did all these fall off the tree without assistance or were you able to pull some off as well? Are there wet or sticky areas of bark still attached to the tree? Are there wet patches on the tree where the back is still attached. Is the trunk damage on one side of the tree or all sides of the tree? If the damage is only one side of the tree, can you determine what direction (north etc.) that part of the tree is facing.
It would be really useful to send me a few pictures of the tree. I am trying to determine if the bark is falling at all levels of the trunk, if the bark is falling off in patches or sheets, and how much bark has fallen off. A picture of the whole tree plus close-ups is valuable. Do you have any bugs on that tree or around the bark. Can you send me some close-ups of the trunk where the bark damage is on the trunk. The uniform sizes of those bark pieces indicate it could be squirrel damage.
I know that these are a lot of questions, but these answers will help us get a clearer picture of what is going on with this tree.
CourtneyCMG Arapahoe County
Thank you, Courtney, for your response. The picture that I sent you of bark pieces showed chunks that were between roughly one and two inches in length and a quarter inch or so wide. There were lots of them. I looked up in the tree and it looks like the pieces came from a branch with a diameter of a half to three-quarters of an inch. It's well up in the tree - I'll attach a photo. Looks like it was just stripped bare all the way around and for several feet in length. There are several other branches just like it - various places in the canopy of the tree. No bugs around these particular branches. Do have bugs on one major branch that missed getting a systemic insecticide drench application earlier this spring. The rest of the tree seems to be clean of bugs. (Kind of hoped that the squirrels would be affected by the insecticide - doesn't appear to be the case.) I'm sending a picture of some cut branches. I get these every so often. Sometimes the ground under the tree is widely covered by them. If it's squirrels, do you have any suggestions as to how to get rid of them? I'd be happy to get rid of them - the neighbor feeds them peanuts - which the squirrels plant in my yard. Thank you, Don On Monday, July 31, 2023 at 12:54:54 PM MDT, Ask Extension <ask> wrote:</ask>
I am taking over where Courtney left off. Thank you for the photos and the additional information.
The culprit does appear to be a squirrel, probably a fox squirrel (Sciurus niger). Apparently, they are fond of elm trees. Here's a little information on them and their habits.
https://planttalk.colostate.edu/topics/wildlife-issues/2303-squirrel-damage-trees/
There are a couple of options, but they are not fool proof. One option is to trap them. You should contact the Division of Parks and Wildlife if you choose to go this route. They are pretty easy to trap (They like peanuts in the shell.), but it will be an ongoing job because other squirrels will no doubt come over to visit your elm.
The other option is to wrap something slippery around the trunk of the tree. This will need to be 6 feet high because they are good jumpers. Check out this article from the University of Missouri. Scroll down the the section on "Exclusion and Habitat Modification." However, I am noticing what looks like a power/telephone wire in your photo. If the squirrels are using that like a tight rope, you probably won't be able to keep them out of the tree. Here's the article.
https://extension.missouri.edu/publications/g9455
Sorry there isn't an easy solution. Good luck.
