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	Podcast:		Local Features by WXPR
	Episode:		Do Woodpeckers Hurt Trees?
	Category:		Government & Organizations
	Duration:		00:03:53
	Publish Date:		2019-07-15 05:04:00
	Description:		Springtime woodpecker worries are the focus of this week’s Wildlife Matters, as the Masked Biologist tackles another Curious North question from one of our listeners. I get questions or concerns pretty frequently about woodpeckers hurting or killing trees, so when I saw this Curious North question, I thought I would try to address Jane Trotter’s concerns. She asks “A Hairy Woodpecker is busily working on a Hemlock tree right outside our bedroom window. The Hemlock appears to be alive and well....so far. Will Hairy’s morning percussions hurt the tree?” In a word, no, the hammering from that hairy woodpecker shouldn’t do any damage. However, I have a little bit of a grin on my face when I say that, because while it is true, it isn’t the whole truth. You see, woodpeckers rarely do any damage…unless there is already damage going on. Woodpeckers do not eat trees, obviously. They eat wood-boring insects and insect larvae. So, if they are hammering away on a tree, especially in the winter,
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