Squirrels! :(
Hello! We have a fiesta sugar maple we planted 7 years ago. It is the love of my life and the squirrels are attacking it. They are stripping large amounts of bark from it. My question is two-fold, I would love suggestions/tips on how to keep the squirrels out (Repel sprays? Flashing?) and also, how do I nurse my tree back to health to give it every opportunity to continue to thrive? (Boost watering? Fertilizer? Cages around ripped parts?) Other info, from what I can tell, none of the branches are stripped completely around, however, ones higher up have a significant amount gone (photo 2). The tree is a solo tree in our front yard and the branches are approx 10' from the edge of our roof. There are a large number of patches that are missing, more than my three photos can capture. I'm sending the largest/worst. I would appreciate your guidance! Thank you.
Hennepin County Minnesota nuisance wildlife maple trees squirrel damage animal damage