Tree damage, what is the cause

Code54 · Apr 4, 2015

Was down in the woods today and ran across this tree. The damage goes up almost 8 ｽ- 9 feet on the tree. The tree is dead but I did not find any insects in the wood, nor any tracks around the bottom.
I was thinking maybe a black bear (know there is one running about) but didn't see any tracks or claw marks so I was looking for other ideas?

davesl708 · Apr 4, 2015

Appears to be dry rot. Tree has been dead for a long time. Rotting out from the inside. Possibly termites have had a good meal.

/pine · Apr 4, 2015

Could possibly be one of the smaller woodpecker species (Downy, Hairy etc)...

The debris pile looks like what a larger woodpecker leaves but they also would leave signs in the trunk...

japody · Apr 4, 2015

davesl708 said:
Appears to be dry rot. Tree has been dead for a long time. Rotting out from the inside. Possibly termites have had a good meal.

+1 What he said.

BSnow · Apr 4, 2015

Seems similar to damage I've seen from Pine Beetles (in pine trees) in Mississippi and Colorado.

s219 · Apr 4, 2015

Probably wood peckers, but I have seen similar damage lower down on a tree from raccoons and possums tearing the wood apart to get at bugs. They both leave sizable chunks.

dave1949 · Apr 5, 2015

The three vertical trenches in the trunk and chips below look similar to the work of pileated woodpeckers. In wood that soft, that is not a long job for a pileated woodpecker.

Code54 · Apr 5, 2015

Thanks - we have a LOT of woodpeckers so that would make sense. It is also very dry and rotted so the two together maybe the cause.
When I first seen it from a distance I was thinking our resident bear got to it but when I got closer that got ruled out so I was at a loss.

Egon · Apr 5, 2015

dave1949 said:
The three vertical trenches in the trunk and chips below look similar to the work of pileated woodpeckers. In wood that soft, that is not a long job for a pileated woodpecker.

My suggestion also.

tcreeley · Apr 5, 2015

Wood peckers go after bugs, worms that are found in diseased/infested trees. They do us a service by attacking the bugs. When they tear into a tree- the tree has already been dead for sometime.