Is this a woodpecker problem? Or, some other animal?

[gtaus]

Some serious damage happening to one of my 50 foot tall pine trees.

It looks like woodpecker holes to me, but all that damage way down at the base of the tree?

I know we have red pileated woodpeckers where I live because I see them in the yard all the time.

But I am scratching my head on all that damage at the base of the tree.

My concern.... this tree, when it falls, will either wipe out a nice garden shed, my 5 pallet compost bins, or take out some wood fencing. So, I have a lot of damage to look forward to at some point.

FWIW, I had another 50 foot tall pine tree come down on the neighbor's property a couple of weeks ago. That also had woodpecker like holes at the base of the tree. It took me a couple of days to clean up that mess, but at least that tree fell where there was no other property damage.

Not much I can do about the damage to the tree, but just curious as to what animal is doing all this. Thanks for any help.

 

[sourland]

I believe it is the work of woodpeckers - that would indicate that the tree is infested with insects of some sort.

 

[gtaus]

I believe it is the work of woodpeckers - that would indicate that the tree is infested with insects of some sort.

Thanks for the feedback. The tree looks healthy to me, but who knows what the woodpecker sees? But all that damage at the base of the tree? Usually I see woodpeckers high up in the trees, not at the bottom of the trunk.

And that big hole with all those wood chips laying on the ground?

 

[sourland]

That big hole is pretty typical of Pileated woodpeckers in my experience, and here they are generally after carpenter ants. They are constantly working the Sassafras trees in my front hedgerow. Here there is some sort of borer that is slowly killing pine trees. They just sort of gradually fade.

 

[gtaus]

That big hole is pretty typical of Pileated woodpeckers in my experience, and here they are generally after carpenter ants. They are constantly working the Sassafras trees in my front hedgerow. Here there is some sort of borer that is slowly killing pine trees. They just sort of gradually fade.

Thanks for the info. I'm sure the woodpecker is just doing its job in nature. I'm just wondering/worrying about how much damage that tree is going to do when it falls down.