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Rabbits (Sylvilagus floridanus) cause damage to young trees and lower trunks of established trees by feeding on bark. Bark removal results in tree decline; when bark is completely removed around trunks, trees are girdled and die. Teeth marks from rabbit gnawing are evident on wood.

Eastern cottontail rabbit.

(Photo: Caleb Simmons, NEON, Bugwood.org)

Rabbit feeding on peach trunks is similar to the damage shown here on an apple tree.

(Photo: Steven Katovich, USDA Forest Service)

Management:

• Protect young trees with grow tubes.
• Apply taste-deterrents, such as capsaicin-based products or Thiram, to discourage chewing around trunks.
• Protect older trees with hardware cloth trunk guards.
• Remove brushy piles and long grass around orchard to decrease suitable rabbit habitat. 

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