The prevention of mammal damage to trees in woodland – Forest Research

Every stage of tree growth may be attacked by one or more species of mammal. Often a species may cause damage at several growth stages. Most mammal damage to trees is from either:

• Browsing – feeding on buds, shoots and foliage
• Bark stripping from main stems or branches – gnawing or rubbing.

When trying to identify the cause of damage, the most important things to look for are:

• Form of damage (i.e. browsing, gnawing or rubbing)
• Height of damage
• Time of year when damage occurred
• Presence and size of teeth marks
• Signs of animal presence and abundance – droppings, footprints, runs, scrapes or burrows.

Points to note:

• Lack of teeth in front upper jaw of all deer species produces ragged edge on damaged twigs
• The teeth of rabbits and hares produce a sharp knife like cut. Muntjac may bite partly through thin tall stems and pull them down to eat
• Sheep and deer browsing damage is often very similar in form, but sheep tend to leave wool evidence
• Fraying is a rubbing injury caused when male deer rub new antlers to remove ‘velvet’ or to mark territories.

The following three tables show the main characteristics of damage by:

A: Wild deer
B: Other wild mammals including rabbits, hares, squirrels, mice, voles, edible dormice, moles and badgers
C: Domestic livestock

Brackets in the ‘age of trees’ column denote damage is uncommon.

Table A: Wild deer

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Table B: Other wild mammals

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Table C: Domestic livestock

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