This past Mother’s Day snow storm damaged many of our trees.  Unfortunately, the
damage from that weekend continues to accumulate.  The cold from Mother’s Day killed many flowers on Apples, Crabapples, Peaches, Plums, and Pears.  Without flowers, most of our fruiting trees did not produce fruit.  The lack of available fruit has forced squirrel populations to expanding their foraging, and this has resulted in an explosion of trunk and bark damage to a vast number of our shade trees.  Locust and Elm trees are often damaged by squirrels, but this season we have found extensive bark damage to Hackberries, Maples, Oaks, Elms, Locusts, and just about every species of tree along the Front Range.  There is very little that can be done to prevent squirrel damage.  The damage is often seen in small tip branch dieback scattered throughout the tree’s canopy.  As this damage accumulates it can significantly impact the growth and appearance of the tree.   In some instances this season we have even seen total tree death as a result of extensive squirrel damage.