The expense is relied upon to be higher than the wood cost, yet its worth is acceptable if its term is considered.if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[300,250],'simplifygardening_com-large-mobile-banner-2','ezslot_2',196,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-simplifygardening_com-large-mobile-banner-2-0'); After considering all of these options, the only wood treatments that fit my organic principles seemed to include natural products that would almost double the wood cost required for my raised beds! They dug under a solid metal fence placed a couple of feet away-didnt know they would dig like a ground hog. Painting pressure-treated wood is difficult because the paint cracks when the lumber shrinks. They break down into three categories: The amount of moisture that pressure-treated lumber can retain is truly remarkable. Reading this brings back the thrill of driving down unpaved roads in Vermont in a VW bug with no brakes. While porcupines may be a nuisance to homeowners with ornamental or fruit trees, their presence in the forest improves the function and diversity of these ecosystems. From there, itll be almost impossible for them to climb back up. Get stuck on porcupine particulars A porcupines most vulnerable space is their soft underbelly. Please note that all comments are moderated and may take some time to appear. Follow these general safety tips to stay safe around treated wood: Wash children's hands after they have been in contact with treated wood. In the 1800s, when pioneers kept large quantities of salt in their cabins, porcupines reportedly chewed through walls at night to get at the stash. Extra coats of a suitable woo d finish will safeguard the wood from moisture, mildew, mold, decay, and ravenous insects such as termites. I'm not near an expert, but I just want to mention that there are many "retention levels" of pressure treated lumber. Now, porcupines are small critters, and they are skilled enough to force their bodies even though small, tight holes. A great deal of water is added to the wood during treatmentremember the pressure treating solution is usually about 99% waterand the wood is rarely dried after treating. But there are two drawbacks of pressure treated wood. The 4 Factors! These products no longer contain arsenic. But anyone who spends much time poking around the woods knows they dont eat every bone in the forest. What Furniture Goes With Light Grey Floors Our Top Picks! Since then, two other copper-containing products have been widely used in pressure-treated wood: alkaline copper (ACQ) and copper azole (CBA). Place a bait near the repellent and turn it on. Weve had more than one person stranded up there after porcupines chewed on their vehicle. 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. Porcupine tracks. Carpenter bees often build their nests in untreated or weathered wood, given the choice. Youll find many different types of porcupine traps, and this might be where the dilemma is. ACQ is a water-based solution that uses ammonia to penetrate the timbers. The copper and other pesticides will leach into the water and cause issues for wildlife. Everyone knows what a porcupine is, but apart from the fact that they have quills and can hurt you badly if you mess with them, not many people know much about their biology and manner. Decks, railings, playground equipment, fences, garden beds, and other wooden structures require pressure-treated wood to stave off those life-shortening threats. How Much Is Furniture Marked Up? Eventually we hit upon the plan of totally enclosing the vehicle in wire upon arrival at the weekend cabin. An elective technique is to pick hardwoods that, dissimilar to regular softwoods, for example, pine, will last longer without treatment, as long as 20 years; however, confirm that they are from affirmed ranger service sources (FSC) there is condition. Do you want to know how to keep porcupines from eating wood? A proper face mask, eye protection, gloves, etc. To complete the subscription process, please click the link in the email we just sent you. Their tails have the highest density of quills on their bodies and they can quickly flick their tails to lodge quills into the skin of whatever is threatening them. Mountain lions and fishers have different stratgies for attacking porcupines. Pressure-treated woods usually contain chemicals that deter or are toxic to termite insects. 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. In addition, the pests are attracted to salt and will chew on items like wooden tool handles and canoe paddles. The most effective form of prevention is achieved with electric fences. Keep reading to learn about this common yet very particular building material so youll know how best to use it in your projects. The injection of these preservatives protects the wood from rot, moisture damage, and insect infestations. They also look at wood as the answer to the nutrition and diet they need. The porcupine is a peaceful animal that rarely attacks its enemies. Due to their heavy bodies and short legs, porcupines cannot easily navigate deep snow, therefore wintertime adds extra pressure on this strict plant eater to find accessible and nutritionally dense food. Porcupines have trouble climbing this flimsy barrier because theyre too heavy. Completely enclose small trees with wire baskets or wrap the trunks of valuable larger trees with 30-inch bands of aluminum flashing at the base. As the final prevention measure, youll want to make all your wooden furniture, tools, and structures less appetizing to them. Wood preservatives penetrate sapwood easier than heartwood, so woods with a higher percentage of sapwood (like Southern pine) are used most . Pressure-treated wood is wood that has had a chemical preservative forced into the pores by vacuum-pressure to form a barrier that resists decay and wood-eating insects like termites and carpenter ants. 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. Rainier National Park, we noticed a deposit of quills at the edge of a platform toilet(comes with a view). The porcupine practices a unique form of gun control. For this, you simply need to place bait inside the trap, and then ensure that the traps enclosure will be kept closed even if the porcupine moves and tries to escape. While the base material is the same, pressure-treated wood is very different from typical wood products. Even with all their defenses, porcupines are preyed upon by a several predators. Copyright 2023 Acton Media Inc. All rights reserved. Stripped bark exposes trees to disease, and those affected often die. Be on your guard! If your plan of keeping them off your lawn isnt successful, what do you do? 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. Conservation science in action. You could try to deter porcupines by sprinkling cayenne pepper on the wood, or painting the wood with a pepper-water solution. A few years ago a visitor from South Carolina told me they saw a beaver climbing a tree in the woods behind my house. If a dog eats pressure treated wood, it is likely that the dog will experience gastrointestinal upset and may vomit or have diarrhea. Might have to resort to elimination via bullet. And at least one is just flat-out crazy. Also, as the pores take on the chemical, the lumber will swell a bit in size. 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. How To Decide Who Gets The Master Bedroom? 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. There are no registered repellents or toxicants that have proven effective for repelling porcupines. Can I Put An Altar In My Bedroom? Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. Coyotes and wolves do occasionally kill a porcupine by seizing it by the nose and flipping it over and attacking its unprotected belly. Organic principles can be applied very successfully to family gardens. Porcupines have strong, short legs for gathering food, and long claws on both their front and hind legs for efficient climbing. They have been known to feed on carcasses when food is scarce. Roads are de-iced with salt in the winter. Both of these factors make it tough to paint. The porcupine is not an aggressive animal and will only attack if it is threatened. The truckour only vehicle at the timewas out of commission for three days while a replacement hose was located. Bowfishing. It looked like some kind of Christmas ornament. But now AQC is used, which is much safer for your vegetable garden. Structurally, an SPF #2 28 can be used to span distances of 14'-11". In addition to that, you can also use raw, untreated wood. The measure of copper discharged is minimal, and copper is considered non-poisonous except if it is available at extremely high and elevated levels. Termites can damage pressure-treated wood. 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. and may chew on it as well. You can do that from the right-hand sidebar. Tree bark. This is one of the first things you learn upon arriving at Scout camp in the Pennsylvania woods. Finished compost has a near-neutral pH, so adding compost to CCA-framed beds isn't a problem. Great Article Matt! Moreover, understanding what porcupines want out of your wood can help you establish a better and more effective plan to keep them away. Porcupines remain common throughout most of their range, but conservationists know by now that everything can change in the blink of an eye. Until 2003, the most commonly used chemical to treat lumber was chromated copper . If you are facing a nuisance porcupine on your property, we recommend contacting a professional wildlife control officer for assistance in mitigating conflicts. Wood, whether treated or not, will absorb moisture. | BUGSPRAY. STEP 2: Prepare the surface you plan to paint. Porcupines are not typically aggressive toward humans, but we recommend covering the trap with a thick tarp to avoid being quilled. While the general consensus is that todays pressure-treated wood is safe for raised garden beds, organic growers disagree. The have no reason to gnaw into the wood. 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. Other options may workdistracting the porcupines with a salt lick, or startling them with random, irritating noisesbut there are drawbacks: The salt lick . Your email address will not be published. First, pressure treated wood used in home building materials have an approximate lifespan of only 10 years. Can Freshwater Reserves Protect Tropical Fish Diversity? Cerulli writes eloquently of cultivating a mindful relationship with wildlife. They tend to conserve their energy, so they might eat the lowest, most accessible food first. There is a patent for "porcupine proof" plywood, based on a potassium resin, but it doesn't seem to have caught on. Instead, copper is used, which helps in protecting the wood. Complete Guide! The only good porcupine is a dead porcupine. I sure hope this article doesnt incite a porcupine killing spree across the country. Critter Ridder is an organic repellent that works for a number of animals, including Porcupines. Trex Deck. For dock pilings, special rot-resistant hardwood known as greenheart is preferred. And everybody realizes that arsenic is poisonous. Protection of trees through regular fencing, low strung electrical fencing, and trapping are the most efficient methods for reducing damage.. Ciao for now, Porcupines are also attracted to the resins in plywood (often used in outdoor decks, outbuildings, etc.) These products no longer contain arsenic. Severe Weather 6-in x 6-in x 12-ft #2 Ground Contact Wood Pressure Treated Lumber. By ordinary human standards, porcupines have many bad habits. 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. Is there a substitute for septic systems? For starters, the wood material is normally placed inside the vacuum. Fisher cats, however, excel at preying upon porcupines and may even suppress porcupine populations in some places. 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. Generally speaking, arsenic-free pressure-treated wood is considered safe for children to be around in a play environment. I cannot imagine waking up to a kiss from a quilled rodent. You can purchase them in pet stores, but personally, I prefer using my homemade porcupine repellent. Faces, and gunstocks, are at least in the realm of possibility. 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. So, I did my best and chose 2 of the best ones, according to homeowners and experts! - Lets Find Out. During the spring and summer the porcupines eat buds, tender. Lastly, the vacuum cylinder is filled with . Transfer it into a spray bottle and spray it on your wooden furniture and structures at least once per day. Interestingly, the quills of the North American porcupine are medicated with a topical antibiotic a strategy that evolved to protect against self-quilling. Hope youre well Weight-treated wood sold in the USA. They are attracted to almost any object that has been handled by humans because of the salt found in human sweat. This solution has been the product of deep research and experiments done by various homeowners from all over the country. But porcupines gnaw only deep enough to feed on the nutritious cambium. North American porcupines (Erethizon dorsatum) feast on a high-potassium, low-sodium diet of foliage, causing them to excrete high levels of sodium. They are actually very docile animals that will not attack passersby, but rather lumber away slowly to a comfortable distance then resume whatever it was they were doing. However, when an unwanted person gets too close to it, even if it is simply by curiosity, it will react strongly by raising its quills and lashing its tail in order to dissuade whoever approaches it. Trex is the name of a composite deck material. Ornamental and fruit trees will often attract hungry porcupines in the winter. The foods that attract porcupines include apples, salt, evergreen needles, tree bark, nuts, berries, flowering herbs, grasses, and roots. CCA. I dont recall ever having issue with our outhouse, but chairs, axe handles, vehicles, were all regularly chewed on. When actual research was conducted they found that this was untrue. 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. Install 18 to 24 inch high woven wire fencing around gardens, orchards or specific areas of your property that require protection. In the 1800s, when pioneers kept large quantities of salt in . Once embedded, the grease-covered barbs on a quill are difficult and painful to remove. Here is where you will find the most applications of the lumber. With that said, its still wise for DIYers to take some precautions. It is difficult to find details about the scope of this problem, but the following treatments are commonly questioned: There is a long debate in organic gardening: Can pressure-treated wood be part of an organic garden? 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