Woodpecker Season

Woodpeckers excavate holes both for food and for nesting, which can result in significant damage to ropes courses built in trees or poles. Luckily, there are many ways to prevent this damage.

• If woodpeckers are already using a tree nearby, leave that tree standing for nesting and feeding. Woodpeckers are territorial, it is unlikely that new birds will enter the area.
• Build a woodpecker box. These small boxes will provide a home for the woodpecker, and are moderately easy to build.
• Hang CDs from your trees/poles. The reflections tend to scare away the woodpeckers.
• Hang a plastic owl from your trees/poles. Same idea - scare the woodpeckers away.
• Wrap the tree/pole in a woodpecker-resistant material: wire mesh, crazy carpets or almost anything else to make life difficult for the woodpecker.

Woodpecker season stretches only until the early summer, so any tree/pole wraps can safely be taken down when the summer arrives. None of these solutions will work 100% of the time, but all may help extend the life of your ropes course.

If your course has suffered woodpecker damage, please contact adam@adventureworks.org . We can help you assess the damage, and plan for repair, replacement or strategies to limit further damage.