Black Spruce bark loss - Ask Extension
Hello,
Can you identify what happened to this black spruce tree? All the bark on the trunk from the base to the top of the tree is gone. Bark is st...
Knowledgebase
Black Spruce bark loss #872342
Asked June 09, 2024, 11:59 PM EDT
Hello,
Can you identify what happened to this black spruce tree? All the bark on the trunk from the base to the top of the tree is gone. Bark is still present on the branches. The tree is completely dead. This happened sometime between last October and this May. Thank you. Pictures attached
Crow Wing County Minnesota
Expert Response
My guess would be bear. I can see shredded bark at the base. Bears can climb quite high. Read here:
https://foreststewardshipnotes.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/a-real-bear-recognizing-and-managing-bear-damage-to-trees/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm03242832/page01.htm
Other candidates are squirrels:
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1466
and porcupines:
https://extension.usu.edu/forestry/publications/utah-forest-facts/038-porcupine-damage-to-trees
https://foreststewardshipnotes.wordpress.com/2020/02/07/a-real-bear-recognizing-and-managing-bear-damage-to-trees/
https://www.fs.usda.gov/t-d/pubs/htmlpubs/htm03242832/page01.htm
Other candidates are squirrels:
https://bygl.osu.edu/node/1466
and porcupines:
https://extension.usu.edu/forestry/publications/utah-forest-facts/038-porcupine-damage-to-trees
