Tree bark damage

Question

I live on Lake Ontario. A tree whose roots are in the water has had something chew the bark all the way around and about three feet high on the tree. I thought it might be a beaver but it really doesn’t seem to be where a beaver would live with high waves often. Do you know of anything else that would chew bark from an old tree? Thanks so much.

Answer 1

Believe it or not, deer will do that if they cannot get to other food. Groundhogs and porcupines have also been known to cause this kind of damage. Bears will also occasionally do this.

If it were beavers, you would see this kind of damage to many trees in the area. They tend to clear areas in sections and do not general only cause damage to one tree. But all the other animals I mentioned will usually only damage one or two trees as it is more damage out of desperation rather than a normal feeding or building pattern.