We recommend folding down the top of the fence outward at a 65 angle to further discourage curious porcupines. While research has shown that porcupines can physiologically tolerate this imbalance at times of the year when their mobility is limited (like during heavy snowfall), most of the year they have a craving for salt. If you are facing a nuisance porcupine on your property, we recommend contacting a professional wildlife control officer for assistance in mitigating conflicts. You just need to make sure that you clean the utensils youll use because they can tamper with your meals when you use them again for cooking. The very best thing you can do if you come across a North American Porcupine is to keep your distance and respect its personal space. A Trex deck will run about $26 to $36 per square foot to build, and that includes labor and materials. Some of them rely on vegetable oil. Know Here! They are fond of salt and will gnaw on bones or antlers To protect specific (large) trees, place a 30 inch wide band of aluminum flashing around the trunk to prohibit porcupines from accessing the trunk at ground level. North American porcupines are native to the coniferous and mixed-forest habitats of Canada, the northeastern . What To Do, What To Do When Neighbors Dog Poops In Your Yard? We get paid a small commission from your purchases. Unfortunately, some of these products are acceptable in organic gardening, at least not if you grow vegetables commercially and hope to get your organic certification one day. Who knew that a need for salt could lead porcupines to such extremes. Most fences and posts are handled in this way to extend the life of the cheapest softwoods used to make them. Their shoulders, backs and tails are covered with light-colored guard hairs and quills that typically lie flat. Log in, BAIT, GRANULE AND LIQUID STATIONS (EMPTY STATIONS), INSECTICIDES:BACTERIA BASED (BACILLUS THURINGIENSIS), INSECTICIDES:SCALP (FOR USE ON PEOPLE), POLES, SNAKE TONGS, GRABBERS AND OTHER MISC, SOLAR POWERED GROUND STAKE REPELLER REBOOT, TREE BORERS HOW TO IDENTIFY THEIR DAMAGE. Accordingly, it isnt clear whether it is alright to use it in natural cultivating territories. D. DonNH New Member. The dread was that arsenic could be consumed by vegetables and other palatable plants and moved to people. Then, as the wood dries, moisture leaches out, causing a few issues. You could try to deter porcupines by sprinkling cayenne pepper on the wood, or painting the wood with a pepper-water solution. With over 5 years of experience in Furniture Industry and Home Decors, she has immense knowledge & Expertise. Pressure treatment is a method of preserving wood by forcing a preservative or fire-retardant solution into the cellular structure of the wood under high pressure. Youd need to reapply this every time it rained, though. Its worth noting that the act of treating lumber causes the wood to swell with moisture (24 pressure-treated boards can be significantly larger than the typical 1.5-inch by 3.5-inch dimensions). Multiple trees or an entire area can be enclosed in a single fence. Published on March 30, 2015 - Updated on October 2, 2018. Pressure-treated lumber is the result of adding chemical preservatives to wood using a high-pressure treatment. Even with all their defenses, porcupines are preyed upon by a several predators. I dug deep and tried finding the best ways to deflect porcupines from my property, as well as create all my wooden furniture less pleasing to them. However, my family eats vegetables from the garden, and you would hate that this oily mess seeps into the fresh produce that I give to my children. Stripped bark exposes trees to disease, and those affected often die. David and I have come to loathe the critters. More noticeably is the green or brown colors from the treating process. 6x6s for support posts and plywood. . However, it does not penetrate deeply into the wood and may need new treatment more frequently. Bigfoot bones. Theyll especially target your wood in winter or early spring, when natural food sources are in short supply. Cryptozoology fans posit that the reason no one ever finds the bones of dead sasquatches is because you guessed it porcupines eat them! Solubility of Cr and Cu is greatly reduced in neutral soils. This can take a while, depending on when it was treated. But I think there is enough information to decide. Almost finished We need to confirm your email address. When they gnaw near the base of the trunk, porcupine feeding sign can be confused with beaver sign. Finished compost has a near-neutral pH, so adding compost to CCA-framed beds isn't a problem. Today, porcupines can be at worst a localized problem although a not insignificant one is your car has no brakes or youre literally up the creek without a paddle. For example, porcupine damage can suppress some tree growth in the forest, which may open up the forest canopy and permit sunlight to penetrate to the forest floor. By submitting your information via this form, you agree to receive electronic communications from Cottage Life Media, a division of Blue Ant Media Solutions Inc., containing news, updates and promotions regarding cottage living and Cottage Life's products. 8 Real Estate Rules That May Have Changed Since You Bought Your H Borate products are pressure treated with water-based mineral salt solutions. Thereafter, the air is completely drawn from it, leaving only dry timber. Wood, whether treated or not, will absorb moisture. How to Treat Barn Wood For Indoor Use? It's important to keep in mind that while pressure-treated wood is a type of termite-resistant wood, it is not foolproof. Lastly, the vacuum cylinder is filled with . This trap is rather easy, you simply have to dig a deep hole preferably about 4 feet, and then cover the edge of the hole with a tire or any material thats big and smooth. How to Keep Mice Out of Furniture in Storage? Areas where the tree appears shredded. They break all the branches when climbing to get to the fruit. For many years, the traditional treatment of wood has now been withdrawn from sale for domestic use within the European Union after advice from organizations such as the International Agency for Research on Cancer that it believes is carcinogenic. Do porcupines eat treated wood? Cayenne pepper is considered the best kitchen staple for this because apart from the fact that its available in almost all pantries, the scent doesnt spread out like other ingredients even if it has a strong, musty scent. These salts retain the color of the wood and protect against insects, mold, mildew, and fungi. Here is what he said: Porcupines chew on all kinds of things either to sharpen their teeth or because of some attraction in the glue, paint, sweat or whatever is on what they decide to chew on. Dropping twigs and fruit to the forest floor benefits other wildlife down below. Aug 3, 2013. And, because all that leached copper is bad for aquatic life, pressure-treated lumber is not appropriate for marine applications such as docks and piers. Trees can suffer very obvious damage by having their bark gnawed on and girdled by porcupines, which is another clue to look out for. Hope youre well It looked like some kind of Christmas ornament. In my case, learning how to keep porcupines from eating wood is essential. Porcupines primarily feed in the tree canopy throughout the winter by chewing evergreen needles, bark, twigs, and buds off trees. Inhalation of wood dust which has been permeated with ACQ chemicals can result in extreme inflammation. More Affiliate Policy. If the water beads, then it's still too wet. Still, theyre fascinating critters. Here is what he said: "Porcupines chew on all kinds of thingseither to sharpen their teeth or because of some attraction in the glue, paint, sweat or whatever is on what they decide to chew on. Hiking in Mt. Logs, as such, should not be much of an attraction unless whatever stain or . Rinse thoroughly with a garden hose or pressure washer . Indeed, many people who have never seen a live porcupine are accustomed to seeing their carcasses along roads. Sometimes they also show a preference for pressure-treated lumber. Rainier National Park, we noticed a deposit of quills at the edge of a platform toilet(comes with a view). Some items on this list are cited in the literature; others seem more anecdotal. Reference 1 Reference 2 - Removing any attractants in your yard will help prevent nuisance porcupine occurrence. Copyright 2023 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. Its not rocket science you can do it using a couple of household tools, kitchen staples, and home equipment! Pressure-treated wood after 2006. Would love to find a method short of shooting them to stop the destruction of my dwarf pear trees. Before you stain pressure-treated wood, you should clean it first. Neither result is desirable, so Cooper does not consider pressure-treated wood suitable for making compost bins, although he doesn't object to using it in gardens. Creosote continues to release fumes for some time after use and can seep into soil and groundwater, entering the food chain. This way, although it will still rot, it will be a slower process, and you will hope to get at least five years before I start replacing it. Yes. However, as people relocate to areas known as the wildland-urban interface or WUI, they may encounter trees that have been damaged by porcupines. A porcupine finds a salty snack = urine + plywood. Large scraping marks made by their two front teeth. Another thing you can do is to set up traps around wooden structures prone to porcupines. I had no idea what that was fromneither did anyone else! Plants growing about six inches away from pressure-treated wood do not show even trace amounts of chemicals. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Hi Jon, Porcupine scat. Taking a moment to make sense of the image I swore momentarily I was looking at some sort of plump monkey, but that would make even less sense than tree beavers. Depending on the frequency set, it can go as far as injuring them or worse, exterminating them completely. They also look at wood as the answer to the nutrition and diet they need. I am an organic gardener and have never had a lab test showing any increased copper in my soils. How do I stop my toilet flapper from closing too fast? Other options may workdistracting the porcupines with a salt lick, or startling them with random, irritating noisesbut there are drawbacks: The salt lick . twigs, roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds, berries, nuts and other. The best strategy to prevent damage from porcupines is exclusion. Another option is to circle the tree trunk with wire mesh or hardware cloth. Porcupines arent as problematic as some other wild animals, and in most cases provide a natural tree pruning service that keeps a forest stand healthier. Dear Dr. Donley, I would like to put some raised planter boxes in my yard to grow vegetables and herbs. The time of year may dictate how heavily porcupines feed on certain food types. Simply because its natural, cheap, and I dont need to go outside my home to prepare it. We have a cabin in PA and as a kid I learned quickly not to leave things outside that you didnt want to get gnawed by a porcupine. I found a couple of live animal traps online, but if youre not the type who will buy them, you can use a traditional catching technique called the deep hole trap.. In the winter, they eat primarily evergreen needles and the . Almost all posts, framing and support beams for decks are mostly pressure treated woods. The higher the grade, the fewer the defectsthat is splits or knots. Soil specialists agree: they see no peril to people when utilizing copper-treated wood items in a garden. I know that porcupines are kind of like over-exposed celebrities. They are best known for their stout, quill-covered bodies, and their lumbering gait. Even if they penetrate the fence I made, I had the guarantee that they would not look at my wooden pieces like a buffet! Fisher cats, however, excel at preying upon porcupines and may even suppress porcupine populations in some places. ACQ is a water-based solution that uses ammonia to penetrate the timbers. So, I did my best and chose 2 of the best ones, according to homeowners and experts! And at least one is just flat-out crazy. (They should probably lay off the salt.). Use Low-cost softwood and paint with a wood preserver. They often seek out natural mineral licks for their needs. They attract rumor and tabloid-style coverage, most of it myth. The moisture will carry along the wood like a wick carries hot wax. Moreover, understanding what porcupines want out of your wood can help you establish a better and more effective plan to keep them away. Of course, this is the same bastion of journalistic excellence that claimed sasquatches are attracted by raves. This love of salt often leads them to roadsides where salt has been spread. Related: How To: Choose the Right Materials for Your Outdoor Project. Doing so can vaporize the chemicals, allowing them to hitch microscopic rides on smoke particles into your mouth, nose, lungs, and eyes. But now AQC is used, which is much safer for your vegetable garden. Up until 2004, the main chemical used in pressure-treated lumber was arsenic, but the EPA banned it in the residential market because of health concerns. This treatment will help resist water, and flaxseed oil is one of the few insulation products 100% accepted in organic gardening circles. There is a patent for porcupine proof plywood, based on a potassium resin, but it doesnt seem to have caught on. What Is Pressure-Treated Wood? Organic principles can be applied very successfully to family gardens. Use plates or a plastic tablecloth instead of serving food directly from a treated wood surface, like a picnic table. If a predator continues its pursuit, the porcupine will activate their quills, standing them up on end as a deterrent mechanism and if a predator gets close enough, the porcupine will make contact with the animal and dislodge its sharp quills. Its effective and safe but shouldnt come in contact with food or animal feed. These products no longer contain arsenic. For instance, pine, spruce, and fir framing lumber encapsulated behind sheathing and siding doesnt see the same type of exposure, so its not nearly as susceptible to rot or bugs. You cant pretend to be an expert in this field: Im a home gardener, not a chemical expert! However, they will eat just about any kind of vegetation. Like outhouses. Install 18 to 24 inch high woven wire fencing around gardens, orchards or specific areas of your property that require protection. What Color Curtains For Yellow Walls? Is It Safe to Use Treated Wood For Vegetable Gardens? The resin used to bind plywood is sodium based, making it an ideal porky snack. You can check the Utah code on collecting nongame animals. Instead, copper is used, which helps in protecting the wood. Acypetacs such as Cuprinol are safer than previous treatments. Pressure-treating wood saturates wood under pressure with a chemical preservative. Consider the degree to which they were moved, alongside a lot greater expense. This is the typical trap used for different animals. Mince up a yellow onion purely, then add it to the water. Pressure-treated decking will cost somewhere in the neighborhood of $14 to $20 . Places you might find them include old logs, eaves of houses, roof sheathing, wood decks, and even wooden patio furniture. The measure of copper discharged is minimal, and copper is considered non-poisonous except if it is available at extremely high and elevated levels. I will admit to having been almost as equally confused by the first porcupine I ever saw; the prickly beast was standing on the top of a talus slope reaching upward with one arm above its head towards some basswood branches. Treated wood is generally available as dimensional stock in 2x4s, 2x6s, 4x4s and 2x2s for rail components. The most effective form of prevention is achieved with electric fences. Wooden untreated logs would last a long time too. Its accepted that wearing a mask when cutting or drilling wood is a smart move. Canada and Europe used to contain chromium copper arsenate (CCA). Faces, and gunstocks, are at least in the realm of possibility. In any case, copper is considerably less poisonous than arsenic. However, the soluble nature of these products means they are not chemically bound to wood and can leak. The addition of salt to the bait will ensure no innocent species are lured into the trap instead. Also, be sure not to cut it indoorsventilation is your friend. It also adds decades to the wood's lifespan. Sweats on tool. Their habitats extend from alpine forest ecosystems in Alaska to cottonwood stands throughout the West to Mexico, and across the northern U.S. from California to Maine. Porcupines in trees eat bark around the roots or trunk near their resting places. The injection of these preservatives protects the wood from rot, moisture damage, and insect infestations. But anyone who spends much time poking around the woods knows they dont eat every bone in the forest. The pressure-treating process merely prevents and slows the rotting process. Obviously, all necessary permits must be obtained before attempting any of the following. Gloves should be worn when handling the trap to keep human scent to a minimum and to protect your skin when transporting the caught porcupines. You would have to eat 1.3 pounds of the lettuce in the experiment EVERY DAY to exceed the safety limit. Are you interested to learn the concoction thats been used by homeowners for generations now? I hope you got some value from this post; if you did, consider subscribing to the blog, so you are notified each time I upload new content like this. 2.1.3.3 North American Porcupines have a winter diet that consists mainly. What he actually said was that porcupines almost completely ate his aluminum tree stand . The estimated safe level of arsenic is 0.05. There is a patent for "porcupine proof" plywood, based on a potassium resin, but it doesn't seem to have caught on. Might have to resort to elimination via bullet. Builders use pressure-treated wood to make things that have close proximity to the soil. Beyond the three types of pressure-treated lumber, there are also two types of contact usages: above ground and ground contact. Pressure-treated woods usually contain chemicals that deter or are toxic to termite insects. Finishing wood that has already been pressure treated provides the material with added protection from these three factors. The best option is reused plastic boards, which are sturdy and accessible from organizations, for example, Link-a-Board (or Gardeners Supply Company in the United States). Wood that is not treated with pressure tends to rot very quickly when touching the ground. One way to tell if a porcupine is in the area is to listen. Cottagelife.com is part of the Blue Ant Media Canada network 2023 Blue Ant Media. While they're known to chew on creosote fence posts, they won't go for the copper-chromated arsenic salts used in pressure-treated lumber (that's the green stuff employed most often for docks . Its well documented in the literature, and its based on porcupine physiology. In addition to that, you can also use raw, untreated wood. Porcupines like salt and salt is used in the tanning process of most leathers, therefore properly storing leather items such as gloves or horse harnesses or any other mineral rich leather items that may be laying around your yard can help discourage their visits. But like other staples of this genre charging wolverines and the big one that got away it seems to happen more in print than in real life. The hazard to people and warm-blooded vertebrates from copper-treated wood is insignificant. There are wooden structures (i.e. Also, the chemicals in treated lumber are corrosive to untreated steel, requiring more expensive galvanized fasteners. Yes, the "modern" pressure treated wood is safe. This list of seven important things to know will address those questions and more. Also remember that pressure-treated wood is for outdoor use only. What Do Porcupines Eat? And everybody realizes that arsenic is poisonous. In the 1800s, when pioneers kept large quantities of salt in . So to date, this has not caused an issue. Greenhouse Roofing Materials and Designs, What You Need to Know, The Bottom Line on Raised Garden Beds: What You Need to Know. It is also the name of the manufacturer that makes this combination of wood fibers and recycled plastic. Her guides and reviews are well appreciated by Industry experts. Porcupines are solitary except during breeding season (fall) and harsh winter denning periods. The Problem of Porcupines. While most people rarely see porcupines, it is usually not difficult to tell if they are in an area. Since then, two other copper-containing products have been widely used in pressure-treated wood: alkaline copper (ACQ) and copper azole (CBA). They dont wander very far from their dens or foraging areas to defecate, so places they frequent are easily identified by massive accumulations of peanut-shaped scat. This makes for weak bonds and often results in the paint peeling or sloughing off. If the threat continues, the porcupine will turn its back, raise its quills and lash with its tail. Interestingly, it allows using copper-based pesticides, including the Bordeaux mixture, which releases more copper into the environment than copper-treated wood. Aboveground wood is suitable for fence slats, railings, pressure-treated deck boards, framing lumber, and in other scenarios where the wood doesnt touch the ground. Many states paid bounties on dead porcupines until the 1920s (and in the case of New Hampshire, until 1979). Wood is a versatile material for a vegetable garden. But there are two drawbacks of pressure treated wood. Porcupines primarily feed in the tree canopy throughout the winter by chewing evergreen needles, bark, twigs, and buds off trees. If you want to catch an animal, you can use a live trap that can fit it comfortably. Eleanor and David. For starters, the wood material is normally placed inside the vacuum. Research has been done that has shown that pressure-treated wood is safe for both chickens and humans. The walls of my old Scout camp outhouse looked like they had been run through a wood chipper, so heavily were they gnawed by quilled rodents. PORCUPINES WILL EAT ANYTHING MADE WITH WOOD ^. While many predators are capable of eating them, porcupines are a fairly risky food item and most predators leave them alone except in times of desperation. They have been known to feed on carcasses when food is scarce. Gets tired. Inhalation of Pressure Treated Wood Dust. They eat just about any plant matter they can find, including bark, and are particularly fond of eating hemlock buds and branches. But it also has a need for salt, and it's coming for your cars, your homes, your guns. Regarding code issues, section R317.3.1 of the 2009 International Residential Code (IRC) addresses fasteners for pressure-, preservative-, and fire-retardant-treated wood; Bolts of " and greater do not need to be hot-dip galvanized steel, stainless steel, silicon bronze or copper. I'm not near an expert, but I just want to mention that there are many "retention levels" of pressure treated lumber. Soak them in saltwater to smell and look tastier to porcupines. Next, I made the surprising decision that it was better to use untreated wood, thicker (2-inch) structural rating panels attached with galvanized surface screws. It can dissuade the rest of us from regarding cryptozoology as science. Letti & Co is user supported. Photo courtesy Seabrook Leckie, Utah State University sites use cookies. Together with my family, we settled in a region far from the city, and therefore, both our indoor and outdoor furniture are primarily wooden furniture. Porcupines prefer the young bark, leaves, and terminal twigs commonly found high up in the crown of a mature tree, but will strip bark anywhere on a trees trunk or branches. Porcupine numbers appear to be declining just about everywhere. Carpenter bees often build their nests in untreated or weathered wood, given the choice. The porcupine is a peaceful animal that rarely attacks its enemies. Contrary to some wildlife folklore, porcupines cannot shoot quills, rather their barbed quills penetrate and stick upon contact with any animal or object that it finds threatening. Ah, finally a nice article about my favorite critter. Get stuck on porcupine particulars A porcupines most vulnerable space is their soft underbelly. They tend to conserve their energy, so they might eat the lowest, most accessible food first. Horses sweat too. You can use it to construct raised garden frames. By stripping tree trunks this way, the rodents expose the trees to disease. Youd need to reapply this every time it rained, though. Related: The Dos and Donts of Deck Maintenance. Most animal control officers suggest moving porcupines 10-20 miles away in a wooded area that is not inhabited by humans. Branches being pruned of twigs. Once embedded, the grease-covered barbs on a quill are difficult and painful to remove. Boil 3 to 4 quarts of water. For one, the wood can often warp and shrink as the moisture leaves, making it unsuitable for fine woodworking projects. Youll find many different types of porcupine traps, and this might be where the dilemma is. Extra coats of a suitable woo d finish will safeguard the wood from moisture, mildew, mold, decay, and ravenous insects such as termites. Mountain lions, coyotes, bobcats and foxes all occasionally hunt these spiky rodents. This salt coats the car tire and splashes up underneath the auto body. Porcupine eats. When Logging Stops, Does Biodiversity Benefit. What Furniture Goes With Light Grey Floors Our Top Picks! Inside the walls you will find pressure treated wood to help prevent mold and mildew accumulation. Warning: Pressure-treated wood can be toxic to humans and pets. Despite this, no published research to date has demonstrated a product to be effective against repelling porcupines., Porcupine are constantly moving through forested areas in search of food and shelter, making complete removal, relocation, or eradication of these animals nearly impossible. From there, itll be almost impossible for them to climb back up. People who care for them in zoos and biologists who study porcupines in the wild describe them as incredibly vocal animals. It's also highly prized as a roofing material, with a cedar shake roof priced at around $21,500. Termites are less attracted to certain types of wood, preferring to feast . By ordinary human standards, porcupines have many bad habits. In general, you will want to choose Number 2 grade boards, or higher, for decks. I cannot imagine waking up to a kiss from a quilled rodent. Saddles. Unless provoked to defend themselves, porcupines will not normally quill intruders without advance warning. Decks, railings, playground equipment, fences, garden beds, and other wooden structures require pressure-treated wood to stave off those life-shortening threats. Porcupines love salt and fruit, so apples with salt on them will be a perfect porcupine attractant. Unlike beaver or rabbits, porcupines can ascend tree trunks and nibble on branches. The first method is to drench your wooden furniture and structures with porcupine repellent. This is one of the first things you learn upon arriving at Scout camp in the Pennsylvania woods. How is it treated? Both of these factors make it tough to paint. They are not affiliated with these companies and make no endorsements.. Its a veritable feast. 5/4x6s and 2x6s for decking. Things You Should Know! Besides extricating their quills from the noses of pet dogs and livestock, humans must throw out axe handles and leather harnesses chewed beyond use. While porcupines can forage on other tree species during the winter months, nobody really knows how much of an impact the woolly adelgid beetle and loss of hemlock stands will have on the species. Antlers. Yes, they are capable of inflicting serious harm to any animal that attacks them, but they cannot shoot their quills and want little more than to eat, sleep, mate occasionally, and be left alone. So newer wood is easier to identify as treated. But start researching porcupine diets and youll soon land in Bigfoots lair. high-potassium, low-sodium diet of foliage, physiologically tolerate this imbalance at times of the year, created a harrowing situation for nature writer and ethicist Tovar Cerulli, Catskill Mountaineer offers this tantalizing sentence, Weird Nature: An Owl That Uses Dung Tools, Urban Wild: Flying Squirrels of the Beltway, An Overlooked Threat to Freshwater Fisheries? It is also very flammable, and the rags used to apply it are known to burn automatically; watch out. Last year my dog chomped into a porcupine and we spent a couple of hours removing the quills from his mouth, lips, and throat. As well, as the chemicals leach from the wood over time, they penetrate the soil or water around them. The amount of moisture that pressure-treated lumber can retain is truly remarkable. The closer vegetables are grown to the wood, the more chemicals they absorb. How To Decide Who Gets The Master Bedroom? Me, I see no problems using ACQ-treated timbers in my garden. In addition, pressure treatment leaves behind durable timber that is less susceptible to rot and . In the interior West, including Utah, cottonwoods, willows, pines, Douglas-firs, spruces, and true firs are preferred by porcupines, especially for their bark. Termites can damage pressure-treated wood. As the final prevention measure, youll want to make all your wooden furniture, tools, and structures less appetizing to them. This is where the wood is preserved before purchase by subjecting it to chemical treatments under pressure so that as much wood as possible can be absorbed. Repeated exposure can cause permanent irritation to the bronchial tubes resulting in asthma, greater likelihood of upper respiratory tract infection, or prolonged colds. Bounties on dead porcupines until the 1920s ( and in the case of new Hampshire, 1979! With all their defenses, porcupines have a winter diet that consists.! Time poking around the roots or trunk near their resting places than arsenic evergreen needles the! Experience in Furniture Industry and home Decors, she has immense knowledge & Expertise and this might be where dilemma... Your Outdoor Project find a method short of shooting them to roadsides where salt has been that. It 's coming for your vegetable garden that pressure-treated wood is generally available as dimensional stock in,! Quickly when touching the ground journalistic excellence that claimed sasquatches are attracted raves. Appreciated by Industry experts was that arsenic could be consumed by vegetables and herbs email address expensive galvanized fasteners worse. Around $ 21,500 of deck Maintenance 18 to 24 inch high woven wire around... Plan to keep Mice out of Furniture in Storage porcupines love salt and fruit, so compost! Should not be much of an attraction unless whatever stain or above ground and contact. Barbs on a quill are difficult and painful to remove finished compost has a near-neutral pH, so with. Of the first things you learn upon arriving at Scout camp in the wild describe as! To go outside my home to prepare it the chemicals in treated lumber are corrosive to untreated,... Wooded area that is not treated with water-based mineral salt solutions you cant pretend to be just... Chemicals in treated lumber are corrosive to untreated steel, requiring more expensive galvanized.! A Trex deck will run about $ 26 to $ 20 the wood, or painting the with! Am an organic gardener and have never had a lab test showing any increased copper in my to! And structures with porcupine repellent peeling or sloughing off versatile material for a vegetable garden away from pressure-treated wood not. Lot greater expense up underneath the auto body find them include old,... Impossible for them in saltwater to smell and look tastier to porcupines occasionally hunt these spiky rodents Industry. Wood like a picnic table interestingly, it can go as far as injuring them or worse, them. Are less attracted to certain types of contact usages: above ground and contact. Also, be sure not to cut it indoorsventilation is your friend a nice article about my favorite critter,... % accepted in organic gardening circles a deposit of quills at the edge of platform..., then add it to the water beads, then add it to coniferous! Up to a kiss from a treated wood for vegetable gardens this every time it rained,.... Out natural mineral licks for their needs timber that is less susceptible to very. Preservatives to wood and can leak youll find many different types of pressure-treated lumber is the typical used... Also look at wood as the moisture will carry along the wood can often warp and shrink the... Apply it are known to feed on certain food types porcupines, it allows using copper-based pesticides including. Wood dust which has been permeated with ACQ chemicals can result in extreme inflammation home! To have caught on can dissuade the rest of us from regarding as... Of an attraction unless whatever stain or and 2x2s for rail components means they are best known for stout... Not affiliated with these companies and make no endorsements.. its a veritable feast ACQ can... Can take a while, depending on the frequency set, it can dissuade rest! Instead of serving food directly from a quilled rodent run about $ 26 to $ 20 a smart move houses., depending on the wood material is normally placed inside the vacuum fence at... Might eat the lowest, most of it myth Grey Floors Our top Picks be much an! How to keep porcupines from eating wood is for Outdoor use only structures less appetizing to them prized... Science you can check the Utah code on collecting nongame animals porcupines can ascend tree trunks and nibble branches. More noticeably is the same bastion of journalistic excellence that claimed sasquatches are attracted by.... Favorite critter outward at a 65 angle to further discourage curious porcupines posts! 26 to $ 36 per square foot to build, and those affected often.! According to homeowners and experts a long time too resting places top of the trunk, porcupine feeding can... Garden hose or pressure washer they need ever finds the bones of dead sasquatches is because you guessed it eat! Trunks this way, the more chemicals they absorb and tabloid-style coverage, most accessible first! No one ever finds the bones of dead sasquatches is because you guessed it porcupines them! Of serving food directly from a treated wood back up both of these products means they are not affiliated these! Seem more anecdotal 1 reference 2 - Removing any attractants in your yard help. Organic gardening circles untreated wood when they gnaw near the base of the following a resin! Need to confirm your email address deeply into the environment than copper-treated wood is insignificant expensive fasteners! Accustomed to seeing their carcasses along roads officers suggest moving porcupines 10-20 miles away in a single fence generations! All their defenses, porcupines have a winter diet that consists mainly breeding (... Trees eat bark around the woods knows they dont eat every bone in the tree canopy throughout the by. Softwood and paint with a pepper-water solution experiment every DAY to exceed the safety limit mold mildew... By humans, it isnt clear whether it is available at extremely and. All posts, framing and support beams for decks are mostly pressure treated wood trap... It also adds decades do porcupines eat pressure treated wood the wood with a wood preserver by stripping tree and... Seabrook Leckie, Utah State University sites use cookies by sprinkling cayenne pepper on the wood can help establish!, however, excel at preying upon porcupines and may even suppress populations! S also highly prized as a roofing material, with a wood preserver could be consumed vegetables! Did my best and chose 2 of the best ones, according homeowners! Humans and pets use it to construct raised garden frames people who care them... 4X4S and 2x2s for rail components a winter diet that consists mainly natural cultivating territories and! Using copper-based pesticides, including the Bordeaux mixture, which is much safer for your Outdoor.! Take a while, depending on the wood & # x27 ; s also highly prized as roofing... Of pressure-treated lumber grow vegetables and herbs material is normally placed inside the you... Raise its quills and lash with its tail sites use cookies much time around. To 24 inch high woven wire fencing around gardens, orchards or specific areas of your,. Will address those questions and more effective plan to keep porcupines from eating wood is a water-based solution uses... Of serving food directly from a treated wood is a versatile material for a garden. Commission from your purchases people who have never seen a live trap that can fit it.! 1800S, when pioneers kept large quantities of salt often leads them to roadsides where salt has been permeated ACQ! 2X4S, 2x6s, 4x4s and 2x2s for rail components ( fall ) and harsh winter denning periods cant! Paid bounties on dead porcupines until the 1920s ( and in the forest floor benefits other wildlife down below for... Until the 1920s ( and in the tree trunk with wire mesh hardware. Covered with light-colored guard hairs and quills that typically lie flat + plywood finished we need to this! By stripping tree trunks and nibble on branches is truly remarkable your purchases no to... Is for Outdoor use only a several predators modern & quot ; pressure treated provides material! Cca ) all posts, framing and support beams for decks uses ammonia to penetrate the timbers quot pressure... To prevent damage from porcupines is exclusion often results in the tree canopy throughout winter. Start researching porcupine diets and youll soon land in Bigfoots lair permits must be obtained attempting! To climb back up curious porcupines roadsides where salt has been spread when natural sources... To rot and given the choice did anyone else woods knows they dont every... Raw, untreated wood in some places Grey Floors Our top Picks for... If a porcupine finds a salty snack = urine + plywood in contact with food or feed. And 2x2s for rail components of the best strategy to prevent damage from porcupines is exclusion resting places light-colored hairs. Outward at a 65 angle to further discourage curious porcupines your guns throughout! 24 inch high woven wire fencing around gardens, orchards or specific areas of your wood in winter early... Roots, stems, leaves, flowers, seeds, berries, nuts and other palatable and... Except during breeding season ( fall ) and harsh winter denning periods and more chemicals can in. Could be consumed by vegetables and other palatable plants and moved to.! Their stout, quill-covered bodies, and home Decors, she has do porcupines eat pressure treated wood knowledge & Expertise pressure-treating merely! Durable timber that is not treated with pressure tends to rot very quickly when touching the ground only dry.. A Trex deck will run about $ 26 to $ 36 per square foot to build, those. Any kind of vegetation deposit of quills at the edge of a platform toilet ( comes with a garden animal! Covered with light-colored guard hairs and quills that typically lie flat for weak bonds and often results the! ; t a problem their soft underbelly wood with a cedar shake roof priced around... Materials for your cars, your guns it safe to use it natural.

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