Do Gophers Eat Chestnuts?

Don't Go Nuts

• Make sure you really have gophers in your yard before you worry too much about the safety of your chestnut trees (Castanea spp.) Gopher activity looks very similar to mole activity, and if you have moles, you don't need to fret over your chestnuts: Moles eat grubs and insects. Both rodents leave mounds of dirt near their exit holes, but gophers leave relatively flat-topped, crescent-shaped mounds, whereas mole mounds look more like miniature volcanoes. Gophers also leave exit holes near the mounds, which are plugged with dirt if the gopher is finished feeding.

Taking Down a Tree

• It's strange to think that such a shy little fellow can take down an entire tree, but that's exactly what can happen if you have a hungry gopher in your landscape. It's not just the nuts of chestnut trees that are vulnerable: Gophers can severely damage or kill young chestnut trees, according to the University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources catalog. In fact, they can severely damage or kill any young tree because they are not discriminatory eaters. Any roots will do, and if they damage enough of a tree's roots -- especially if they damage all roots encircling a tree -- that tree will die. Gophers have also been known to eat tree bark.

The Older, the Better

• In general, the older a chestnut tree, the more likely it is to survive a bit of gopher nibbling. A lot depends on the health of the tree -- sometimes older trees suffer from fungal diseases, bacterial diseases or weak wood. Still, the sheer size of the tree's root system will probably prevent it from being damaged too badly by a gopher. Although the eight species of chestnut trees range widely in size, most grow to 50 feet or more. The smallest, Castanea pumila, can still reach a maximum height of about 25 feet. In general, chestnut trees thrive in U.S. Department of Agriculture plant hardiness zones 4 through 7, but this varies by species.

Get 'Em Gone

• Gophers are difficult to eradicate. The best way to do it is to trap and kill them -- this is the only way you can make sure they are gone. Poisoning is also effective, but if you have pets or children, it's not very safe. Gopher cages can be used when planting chestnut saplings, but there's not much you can do for older, mature trees. Gopher repellents simply don't work, according to the University of California IPM Online. If gophers are seriously affecting your chestnut harvest, your best bet is to call in a professional to get rid of the gophers permanently.