Can anyone confirm this is damage caused by deer eating the bark? It's a photo of a goat willow on my woodland in Devon; there's loads of roe about which I see all the time and the possibility of red deer that I've yet to see. I know the roe bucks fray their antlers on the trees but this damage is different and looks as though the bark has been eaten. However, the Forestry Commission info only lists red, sika and fallow as bark munching critters. The height was up to 1.3m, so just at the limits of roe.
One interesting point is that although there's loads of goat willow about it only seems to be this tree that's been attacked and several branches have been attacked. It also has healed wounds that show the bark has been eaten in previous years - one could almost conclude the deer either like the taste or there's something special about this one tree.
One interesting point is that although there's loads of goat willow about it only seems to be this tree that's been attacked and several branches have been attacked. It also has healed wounds that show the bark has been eaten in previous years - one could almost conclude the deer either like the taste or there's something special about this one tree.