Bark stripped off by squirrels / John Morris
Bark stripped off by squirrels / John Morris

The grey squirrel is not native to Britain but was introduced from North America between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They cause a lot of damage in woods by stripping the bark of young trees, particularly beech and sycamore. They also eat the entire crop of hazel nuts before they are ripe which makes it hard for hazel trees to spread.