This message is from a friend here on campus, he is a forestry and urban
forestry expert, he agrees about those cute, fury, rats!

Gary

 

-----Original Message-----
Nope - you got it correct.  Squirrels will bite off the tips of elms
twigs in the spring.  If the twigs have a slanted, clean cut to them it
is the "rat with fur." 

-----Original Message-----

John;

This was posted on a email list.  I'm guessing a squirrel, aka, rats
with fur, problem.  Any other ideas?

Gary

 >I have three Liberty Elms - disease resistant elms, Jeff - that I
>planted as whips in 1999.  The biggest one is over 30 fee tall and
>about 6 inches in diameter.  They are thriving, but this morning I
>noticed something.
 >
 >There are a lot of new leaves on the ground around the base of all
>three.  Each piece on the ground is the new growth for the year,
>about 2-4 inches long, with about a half dozen leaves on it.  The
>base of each little stalk shows sign of having been bitten off. It
>looks like something is biting off the new leaves.
 >
 >Any ideas??
 >
 >Ed Minch
 

Dr. Gary L. Yarrow, Director/RSO/CCHO
General, Biological, Chemical and Radiation Safety Officer Environmental
Health & Safety Office Shepard Hall 059; Box 2202 South Dakota State
University Brookings, SD 57007-0896
www.sdstate.edu/Administration/EnvironmentalHealth&safety/
Office: 605-688-4264
Cell: 605-690-8397
Fax: 605-688-4290

                                  "The Job Isn't Done Right, 
                                    UNLESS its Done Safely"

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