Because they are rodents, porcupines have a need to chew. Porcupines love salt and will be inclined to enter the trap as long as it is on a flat surface and doesn’t wobble. Often they will feed at or near dusk and early in the mornings. If a porcupine has young, transport the entire family if possible. Porcupines have strong, short legs for gathering food, and long claws on both their front and hind legs for efficient climbing. and may chew on it as well. If your tree is too far damaged, you will need to consider removing the tree. Trees with thin, smooth bark tend to be preferred, but any tree could potentially be at risk. Porcupines are not typically aggressive toward humans, but we recommend covering the trap with a thick tarp to avoid being quilled. Trees with thin, smooth bark tend to be preferred, but any tree could potentially be at risk. Live traps can be purchased at local hardware or farm stores. All of these things have the potential to kill a tree because they expose the tree to insects, birds, disease and decay. Multiple trees or an entire area can be enclosed in a single fence. Sometimes they are not noticed until a dog or livestock show up with quills in their nose and on their face. Properties with trees, ornamental plants and gardens may also be attractive to hungry porcupines. his fact sheet describes the basic ecology and behavior of the porcupine and identifies ways to determine if porcupines are damaging trees on your property. This can stimulate herbaceous understory vegetation which benefits different species than those that prefer a closed-canopy forest. Forest & Grassland Health, Porcupine Damage, USDA Forest Service. There are not overly effective and practical means of control for the porcupine when it comes to your trees. Landscape damage caused by these animals can cost thousands of dollars to repair. When threatened, porcupines will expel a pungent olfactory odor that alerts predators that they should retreat. Baby porcupines are born with soft quills and teeth which enable them to begin eating vegetation within the first week of life. Install 18 to 24 inch high woven wire fencing around gardens, orchards or specific areas of your property that require protection. What Can I Do? Porcupines have four incisors—two above and two below that are bright orange, strong and adapted to gnawing. One product however, Thiram is registered as a repellent for rodents and rabbits, and has incidentally repelled porcupines, as well. However, as people relocate to areas known as the wildland-urban interface or WUI, they may encounter trees that have been damaged byÂ. Wintertime is usually when the worst tree damage occurs because smaller vegetation is scarce. This necessity of nature has led to the porcupine being disliked for the damage it can cause to trees near homes or businesses. There is also a chance that the porcupine would move back into the area after being relocated. Porcupine Ecology and Damage Management Techniques for Rural Homeowners. Our trees do a good job of letting us know the severity of the damage. The Utah Division of Wildlife Resources states in code R657-3 that “A person shall obtain a certificate of registration before collecting, importing, transporting, or possessing any species of animal or its parts classified as prohibited or controlled”. Stripping bark can girdle trees, resulting in branch dieback which shows up the year following the damage. Other Forestry Related USU Extension Pubs, https://wildlife.utah.gov/index.php/r657-19.html, https://wildlife.utah.gov/discover/utah-wildlife/107-discover/610-wildlife-rehabilitators-and-nuisance-control.html, https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/r10/forest-grasslandhealth/?cid=FSEPRD566459%20&width=full, http://pcwd.info/wp-content/uploads/2016/12/1994Porcupines.pdf, http://www.wyomingextension.org/agpubs/pubs/B1073.pdf, https://www.wildawareutah.org/utah-wildlife-information/porcupines/. Porcupine and squirrels feed on the bark of trees, stripping it from branches and main stems. For example, porcupine damage can suppress some tree growth in the forest, which may open up the forest canopy and permit sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. Interestingly, the quills of the North American porcupine are medicated with a topical antibiotic – a strategy that evolved to protect against “self-quilling”. Destroy plants and vegetation. In addition, trees that are killed and felled due to porcupine damage can provide shelter and nest sites for other wildlife. Tree bark damage is not only unsightly, but can be deadly to a tree. Please keep in mind, the porcupine, like all wild animals, is part of nature and plays a vital role in our ecosystem. CLOUD, Minn. (3/4/20) — Over the past month many people have called into the Extension office to report damage to their trees. Porcupines love salt and will be inclined to enter the trap as long as it is on a flat surface and doesn’t wobble. Trees between 15 and 25 years — especially Douglas-fir, western hemlock and western red cedar … On larger trees that may be difficult. One porcupine can have up to 30,000 quills on its body and can regrow any quills that are released. Carrie Frickman / DJ Case and Associates Fencing trees and gardens is the most effective way to prevent porcupine damage. Porcupines in trees eat … For a gray squirrel the incisor widths vary from 1.3-1.7 mm, for a porcupine it’s nearly 3 … The beaver is the only rodent in North America that is larger than the North American porcupine. In the spring and summer, porcupines shift to eating berries, seeds, grasses, leaves, roots and stems. Porcupines eat herbaceous plants, inner tree bark, twigs, and leaves (when present). Removing any attractants in your yard will help prevent nuisance porcupine occurrenceÂ. Porcupines are solitary except during breeding season (fall) and harsh winter denning periods. The literal translation of this is “the irritable back.” The porcupine uses its sharp quills to inflict harm to any would-be predators that get within close range. Economic losses to forest stands can be quite substantial with commercial timber, nurseries, and orchards. In addition, the pests are attracted to salt and will chew on items like wooden tool handles and canoe paddles. Porcupines are also attracted to the resins in plywood (often used in outdoor decks, outbuildings, etc.) Often they will feed at or near dusk and early in the mornings. Gloves should be worn when handling the trap to keep human scent to a minimum and to protect your skin when transporting the caught porcupines. Porcupines eat herbaceous plants, inner tree bark, twigs, and leaves (when present). Exclusion. Vegetables; Another thing they love to eat is vegetables. The name “porcupine” is very appropriate, coming as it does from the Latin porcus, meaning swine, and spina, meaning thorn. This description fits the damage done by porcupines. Contrary to some wildlife folklore, porcupines cannot “shoot” quills, rather their barbed quills penetrate and stick upon contact with any animal or object that it finds threatening. The North American porcupine (Erethizon dorsatum) is one of the most widely distributed herbivores and the second largest member of the rodent family in North America. Porcupines clip twigs and branches that fall to the ground or onto snow and often provide food for deer and other mammals. Porcupines have their young from April to May and the juveniles stay with the females for the first summer of their lives. They are vegetarians. In addition, porcupines produce significant damage to fruits, vegetables, corn, alfalfa and small grains. 3). Multiple trees or an entire area can be enclosed in a single fence. Depending on the season, porcupines eat a wide range of vegetation including bark, needles, leaves and the reproductive and readily eaten vegetative parts of woody plants, including nuts, seeds, fruits, and buds (these are considered mast). Porcupine. If this becomes a problem you may want to provide an alternate salt source such as a salt block to keep them from damaging structures. Their strong tails are able to grasp objects and also help to stabilize their bodies as they climb up and down trees. Porcupines expose tree roots, girdle tree trunks, and clip branches off trees with their chewing. Porcupines are creatures of habit and will use the same feeding runs night after night. Trees with thin, smooth bark tend to be preferred, but any tree could potentially be at risk. To a porcupine, your rose garden, berry patch, or vegetable garden, is simply irresistible. Click on images to view full-size Extension in your Community > The porcupine is North America’s second largest rodent; only the beaver is bigger. If the branch isn’t completely girdled, it will start to grow callus tissue over damaged areas in an attempt to recover. Damaged tree bark is not just an aesthetic problem but it can be a pretty serious health issue for your tree. They can make a wide range of vocalizations that resemble the sound of a kazoo (listen here: https://youtu.be/m9H3z94ZuJ0). If you are finding damage on your property, you will need to act. porcupines. We explain specific techniques for protecting trees and property from porcupine damage. Porcupines occasionally cause damage in sugar maple stands, apple orchards, and cultivated crops. Trees will die if the damage is severe enough. If you are concerned about your tree or have questions, please reach out to your local Extension Educator. County Horticulture Educator in One way to tell if a porcupine is in the area is to listen. To get to it they have to remove the bark all the way down to the cambium layer of the tree, which is where the wood begins. Stearns. Porcupines and squirrels damage trees by eating the bark. Just because we are seeing slightly higher reports of porcupine damage this winter does not necessarily mean that the trend will continue. Once embedded, the grease-covered barbs on a quill are difficult and painful to remove. Porcupines expose tree roots, girdle tree trunks, and clip branches off trees with their chewing. If porcupines remove the bark all the way around the trunk or a branch (girdling it), then the trunk or branch will be killed from that point up or out. Porcupines are rodents that need to sharpen their teeth, so they may chew on wood in your backyard. This will prevent porcupines from being able to climb your trees. Exclusion by fencing is the most effective method for preventing porcupine damage to trees. In addition to plant material, porcupines crave salt and are attracted to objects that have salty human sweat on them, such as ax handles, boat oars, etc. Many people consider porcupines to be a nuisance because of the damage they cause to trees and wooden structures. Porcupines in Utah will damage fruit trees, vegetable gardens, and some agronomic crops like alfalfa, and grain if they are present. In winter, remember to take snow height into consideration. ... hi , i have a hungry porcupine that last night chewed off quite a bit of bark off my little leaf linden. I'm not familiar with porcupine damage, but all kinds of things will strip bark to get at the bugs inside a tree. They have their young from April to May and typically give birth to one ten-inch long “porcupette” that remains with its mother throughout the summer. Utah is centrally located in porcupine territory, but in Utah they are usually found in the woods away from people. Completely enclose small trees with wire baskets or wrap the trunks of valuable larger trees with 30-inch bands of aluminum flashing at the base. ST. If the damage isn’t severe enough to kill the tree it will be more susceptible to insects and disease. If bark is stripped all the way in to the cambium then that part of the tree will die, though small wounds may eventually heal by new tissue growing from the edges of the wound. This will weaken the tree and make it more vulnerable to damage from diseases, insects, and birds. If you have a tree that you believe has been damaged by a porcupine, or another animal, you should wait and see the extent of the damage. B-1073.19 pg. Electric fencing can sometimes work in small orchards. They obtain nutrients primarily from: 1) sap flow caused by the damage, 2) the insects found under bark and in hollow trunks they have drilled out impressively symmetrical portals into, and 3) fruits and nuts. The spray nozzles on these products are also unlikely to reach the tops of trees where the porcupines are doing the damage. Using an electric fence to protect trees … The Washington Forestry Protection Association estimates that a single foraging black bear can peel bark from as many as 70 young trees a day. Small trees and shrubs cannot withstand as much damage as larger trees. Protection of trees through regular fencing, low strung electrical fencing, and trapping are the most efficient methods for reducing damage.Â. Stripped bark exposes trees to disease, and those affected often die. In addition to plant material, porcupines crave salt and are attracted to objects that have salty human sweat on them, such as ax handles, boat oars, etc. The amount of damage will determine whether or not the tree or shrub can survive. Bark, living cambial tissue, soft tender stems, twigs, leaves, and fruit of trees are the major food source of porcupines. Like beavers, porcupines prefer to eat the nutritious inner tree bark or phloem. Porcupine Damage to trees, trapping and relocating porcupines. Their diet changes seasonally. his fact sheet describes the basic ecology and behavior of the porcupine and identifies ways to determine if porcupines are damaging trees on your property. Clipped twigs on fresh snow, tracks, and gnawings on trees are useful means of damage identification (Fig. University of Wyoming Cooperative Extension. Trees will die if the damage is severe enough. They are best known for their stout, quill-covered bodies, and their lumbering gait. Olson, R. & A. M. Lewis. Obviously, all necessary permits must be obtained before attempting any of the following. If the damage isn’t severe enough to kill the tree, it will be more susceptible to insects and disease. This will weaken the tree and make it more vulnerable to damage from diseases, insects, and birds. Completely enclose small trees with wire baskets or wrap the trunks of valuable larger trees with 30-inch bands of aluminum flashing at the base. Porcupines eat herbaceous plants, inner tree bark, twigs, and leaves (when present). They al… To a porcupine, your rose garden, berry patch, or vegetable garden, is simply irresistible. Grooved tooth marks approximately 5 mm wide are characteristic of porcupine damage. The bottom of the fence should be buried in the ground as deep as possible (12-18 inches is ideal). 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