Damage
Agriculture
Burrows: Ground squirrel burrows can cause significant damage where they occur. They can weaken levees and ditches adjacent to agricultural areas and pose a hazard to farm laborers and farm equipment. Burrows may also divert water away from crops, resulting in a loss of irrigation and accelerated erosion. During harvest, soil from burrows can lower hay quality, and a significant number of nuts can be lost down burrows systems.
Irrigation lines: Ground squirrels frequently chew on drip irrigation lines, which annually results in millions of dollars in repair costs statewide, as well as substantial loss of water. Direct damage to crops: When they exist in high densities, California ground squirrels can cause significant damage to forage for livestock on rangeland. This can significantly reduce both carrying capacity and daily weight gain in cattle. All grains and many forage crops are susceptible to California ground squirrel damage. Crops like sugar beets, alfalfa, and cotton are prone to damage during the seedling stage. Many fruit and nut crops are also susceptible to damage through foraging or by girdling of tree or vine trunks and branches, which can lead to reduced yields and/or mortality of the tree or vine. Belding’s ground squirrels can cause significant damage to alfalfa, other hay and grain crops, and forage on rangelands and pastures. Belding’s ground squirrels reduce forage yields through direct plant consumption and by the construction of their burrow system in the interior of the field (unlike the California ground squirrel whose burrow system is primarily on field edges and long fence rows. Burrows may cause further damage to farm equipment during soil preparation and harvesting operations, and hay quality can be reduced if soil from burrows is incorporated into in hay bales. Weed density also increases in agricultural fields where Belding’s ground squirrels remove crop foliage or thin crop density thereby opening the canopy and allowing space and light for weed growth. First cutting yield losses in Alfalfa crops from Belding’s ground squirrel damage have been measured to be between 17% and 66%. |
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Infrastructure
Burrow entrances in recreational areas such as parks or playgrounds may be responsible for injuries due to falls. In urban areas, ground squirrels can burrow under roads, pathways, patios, and houses. These undermined structures may eventually become unstable. California ground squirrels cause damage to dams, levees, river banks, and other flood control structures. The Army Corp of Engineers has a zero tolerance policy for any burrowing rodents, including ground squirrels, in flood control channels.
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