Strange traces on the trees. We know who is behind it
Recently, in the Bieszczady Mountains have been encountered by disturbing traces of trees. As it turns out, one of the local predators is responsible for them.
Recently, tourists could come across many damaged trees on the Bieszczady trails. I am talking mainly about fir, less often ash, larch and spruces, from which large patches of bark were chased.
Destroyed trees in the Bieszczady Mountains. The culprit is known
The inhabitants of these regions and experienced travelers, of course, immediately guessed who was responsible for all the confusion. Their assumptions were confirmed by the spokesman for the Regional Directorate of State Forests in Krosno Edward Marszałek.
“These are traces of bears feeding,” said the marshal. He explained that these animals rip off the bark with claws to later scrape the softened sip. In this way, they complement their diet with nutrients from tree juices. This is not a new view. Every year, a single bear can get even several dozen firs from the bark.
– This was the case in 2003 in the vicinity of Chmiel near Otryt, where in one forest separation the Bear saw 30 trees from the bark, and in 2004 to July, in the Polana forestry, over 120 firs raised from the bark by the bear were calculated – he reminded the spokesman for the State Forests in an interview with the TVNmeteo portal.
The forester explains why bears destroy specific trees
Leśnik Kazimierz Nóżka, in turn, explained why only some species of trees fall victim to bears. As he said, predators are looking for trees with a smooth bark, with an even trunk and devoid of knots.
– We have been observing this phenomenon for years, it has basically only occurred in spring and not every year. If the bark is ragged around the entire perimeter of the trunk, then the tree, of course, dries, but most often it is fragmentary tearing, which allows the tree to last a long time, despite the fact that the wound is exposed to the penetration of insects and mushrooms – he emphasized.
