28o CONIFEROUS TREES 



6 to 8 feet from the crown of the trees are often 

 irreparably damaged by -the gnawing of the squirrel. 



The bark around the stem is gnawed and peeled 

 off, with the result that all above the attacked 

 part dies off, and is readily broken across in 

 stormy weather. In the case of injured tops, it 

 is advisable to have them carefully cut back to 

 the sound bark, and the strongest side branch 

 substituted as a leader. 



Squirrels are particularly fond of the flower- 

 buds of the horse-chestnut and many coniferous 

 trees, while cones of the latter are by no means 

 exempt from their attacks. Preventive measures 

 are by no means readily adopted, and shooting 

 or trapping has in many aggravated cases been 

 reluctantly resorted to. Standard, isolated trees 

 of the Pine family and other species may be pre- 

 served from attack by tpng a band of gorse round 

 the stem, but where there are many trees in close 

 proximity such a method of preservation is out of 

 the question. For nesting purposes bark from the 

 stem of the Redwood and branches of decayed 

 lime trees is often employed. 



Rats and mice sometimes damage the bark of 

 both young trees and seedling plants, though their 

 attacks are somewhat local. The vole or water- 

 rat is undoubtedly the most to be dreaded, as it 

 will attack not only seeds and seedHngs, but the 

 bark of many species of hard-wooded and conifer- 

 ous trees. We have known whole plantations by 

 a river-side to suffer from stem barking, and trees 

 by the lake or pond side are most liable to attack. 

 At one time the vole threatened the destruction 

 of the New Forest and Forest of Dean by its 



