1. From a Distance; © 2011 by etva
2. Break within 48 hours; © 2011 by etva
3. Closer; © 2011 by etva
4. Sap Detail; © 2011 by etva
5. Sapsucker Horizontal Damage; © 2011 by etva
6. Sapsucker Vertical Damage; © 2011 by etva
7. Sapsucker Hole; © 2011 by etva
8. View of additional trees in the Break; © 2011 by etva
9. Different View of the Tree Break. The pines are in the center of the line to the right of the house. There are actually more trees in the break than evident in the first photos I posted. © 2011 by etva
10. Fruit Tree Damage from Sapsuckers; © 2011 by etva
For the past two years, we have been losing trees on our farm at an unprecedented rate. Most recently, we've had 3 large pine trees snap in half. It's true that this happened during storms, but the wind really wasn't all that fierce.
We also have sapsuckers, but I've never heard of them cracking trees in half.
I recently made an effort to examine some of our trees, but I was only able to determine that I am way too old to be climbing pines! I saw lots of sapsucker remnants, but no beetles, moths or other intrusive varmints, though I'm not sure what signs and symptoms are associated with them.
The damage looks like sapsucker holes to me. What do you think?
