Which of the following describes a way voles can kill trees and shrubs?

• A. Girding the bark at the base of the plant
• B. Chewing roots only
• C. Consuming leaves at the top
• D. Spin around trunks

Answer: (A)

Voles kill trees and shrubs mainly by girdling the bark at the base. When they strip away the bark all around the lower trunk, they remove the phloem and cambium that transport nutrients and water between the roots and the crown. Without this continuous flow, the plant can’t sustain itself and dies back or dies altogether. While voles do chew on roots, that damage alone doesn’t consistently sever the vital connections the way girdling at the base does. They don’t kill by consuming leaves up top, and the idea of “spinning around trunks” isn’t a real vole behavior.