A surefire way to attract wildlife to your property is to plant mast-producing shrubs and trees that will keep deer and other animals well-fed, healthy, and returning for more. Land managers also know the unfortunate consequence of planting food-bearing trees: they attract unwanted wildlife and, often, damage. If gophers, mice, voles, and other pesky rodents are chewing your trees, have no fear. There’s no need to take a cue from Caddyshack; just follow a few simple steps from Turkey Country magazine to reduce damage from small rodents.
“Mice (genus Peromyscus) and voles (genus Microtus) are also part of a healthy ecosystem but can cause headaches for tree and shrub growers, especially during winter months when forage is scarce. When food supplies dwindle, these critters often resort to stripping the bark from small seedlings. Many plantings have suffered the fate of girdling by these animals.
“The most successful small rodent management program relies on combination of population control, exclusion (very cost effective with a high probability of success) rather than eradication (expensive with a low probability of success) and vegetation management.”
Photo by: Outdoor Alabama
