Oak Trunk Rows of Small Holes: Sapsucker Woodpecker—Minimal Impact, Monitor Canopy

Identification

1/4-inch holes in neat rows on main trunk = yellow-bellied sapsucker (woodpecker). Feeds on sap and attracted insects.

Usually minimal. Monitor each spring: full leaf-out = healthy. Increasing dead branches = decline.

Plant Diseases: Young Oak Vertical Bark Cracks: Stress Injury, Consider Replanting; Oak Insect Galls: Benign Wasp Nurseries on Mature Tree; Pine Tree Holes in Rows: Sapsucker Woodpecker Damage; Live Oak Black Bark, Woodpecker Holes, and Ants: Internal Decay and Removal Risk; Cedar Spruce Sap Sucker Damage: Bird-Caused Holes Misidentified as Borers; Why Is My Mature Oak Tree Shedding Leaves and Acorns Excessively?; Evaluating Decay and Holes in an Old Oak Tree; Oak Tree Cavity Assessment: When Holes Indicate Hazard; Carpenter Ants in Live Oak: Holes Are From Decay, Not Ants; Transplanted Oak Tree with Top Dieback: Assessment and Care

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