Large redheaded woodpecker made a big hole in my maple- it's bleeding out.
A couple days ago I saw a large red headed woodpecker in my yard.
Today I was in my backyard and noticed one of my trees has a wide 'wet' area down one side while all my other trees were dry.
I walked over and noticed about 6 feet up- a large hole...and from there down is about a 10-12 inch wide path of wet to the ground.
Will this kill the tree? Is there anything I can do to help the tree?
A spray? Some sort of tree putty?
I'll be super upset if I loose this tree.
Josh I think it may be OK as my neighbor has a tree with a very similar situation from two years ago. It is a shockingly large hole, at approximately 6-8" long and a 2" wide. That maple is fine today. A quick search did provide this info:
"Many homeowners question whether woodpeckers cause life-threatening damage to the trees they drill. In general, the answer is that they do not. Healthy trees can withstand the minor damage woodpeckers cause unless trunks or limbs receive girdling injuries."
I must add, when I read your subject line I immediately heard the song "The Sky Is Crying" in my head but with the tree as the sky part. I just watched a Stevie Ray Vaughn documentary the other night...LOL
Greg 
Indie They go after insects inside the tree. If a wood pecker went after it, it either already isn't healthy or it will be soon from infestation. Treat for insects, the wood pecker then has no reason to be there. Be very careful of sealer products that will actually hurt the tree.
GC I wouldn’t do anything. Once the pecker gets to what he’s after, he’ll leave the tree alone. Trees are surprisingly hearty plants. Ever been to the Sierra Nevada mountains? There’s a redwood with a hole so big you can drive your car through it. It’s still alive and healthy.
Woodpeckers are considered migratory birds and therefore you can’t kill them. But as someone once told me when their wood sided house was under siege, “shoot, shovel and shut up” Not recommending you do this, just found it humorous.
ConsigliereIf it's a really big woodpecker you might have yourself a Pileated Woodpecker. If so, nice, they're not *super* common (but their numbers have been increasing in recent decades). Might be a nuisance but they rarely cause fatal damage to trees. Woodpeckers are a great example of nature thriving for equilibrium. Woodpeckers eat the bugs that damage the trees from the inside out, so you may have an unsightly hole but it's better than whatever the weevils/borers are doing beneath the surface
When we went camping as a kid in the early 1970's we very much looked forward to going to Yosemite and the famous tree you could drive through. We got there and found out the tree had fallen in a snow storm about 5 years before. They had already stopped cars from going through it because the activity was eroding the earth around its base. And then a big snow storm came along and it didn't survive.
eapos Leave a Reply
To comment on this topic, fill out the form below. If you would like to comment directly to one person, you may click on the envelope next to the posters name if they provided their email.