Animal damage symptoms include which combination?

Animal damage symptoms include which combination?

• A. Uniform crown fade to injury; leader does not shorten; no distress cones; bleeding resin; chewing or girdling; roots healthy.
• B. Yellowing of all leaves with stunted growth.
• C. Root rot and necrosis.
• D. Insect stings on bark only.

Answer: (A)

Recognizing signs of animal damage in trees means looking for a consistent set of symptoms caused by animals chewing or gnawing on the trunk and crown, rather than symptoms from disease or environmental stress. The described combination fits this pattern: the crown shows uniform fade from injury, the main leader remains unshortened, there are resin bleeds at fresh wounds, and you can see chewing or girdling on the trunk while the roots appear healthy. These features together point to mechanical damage from animals rather than a root disease or leaf/whole-tree stress. Other problems produce different clues. Yellowing leaves with stunted growth suggests nutritional or environmental stress; root rot and necrosis points to soil pathogens; insect stings on bark alone indicate insect activity without the distinct chewing/girdling and resin-bleed pattern seen with animal damage.

Recognizing signs of animal damage in trees means looking for a consistent set of symptoms caused by animals chewing or gnawing on the trunk and crown, rather than symptoms from disease or environmental stress. The described combination fits this pattern: the crown shows uniform fade from injury, the main leader remains unshortened, there are resin bleeds at fresh wounds, and you can see chewing or girdling on the trunk while the roots appear healthy. These features together point to mechanical damage from animals rather than a root disease or leaf/whole-tree stress.

Other problems produce different clues. Yellowing leaves with stunted growth suggests nutritional or environmental stress; root rot and necrosis points to soil pathogens; insect stings on bark alone indicate insect activity without the distinct chewing/girdling and resin-bleed pattern seen with animal damage.