moles and tree

[finecur]

Hi, we just moved in this house. We have a tree in the front yard. We found it is sick. It looks very dry and the inside is all dried up. And the leaves are falling. We have no clue. Some people said the ground was too dry. Some people said too much water. Today, I found a mole built all his tunnels around the root of the tree. I some how digged it out but did not catch it. Could the reason for the sick tree be the mole? And how to get rid of the mole?

Thank you very much.

qq

[John McGaw]

I've never heard of a mole hurting a tree. If there is a connection between the mole being in that place and the tree being sickly it might be that moles subsist almost entirely on insects and invertebrates (some actually are said to eat small mammals like mice so I qualify my statement). But they certainly do not eat plants. But if you had an area with too many insects, which might be damaging the tree, it might well attract moles wishing to eat them.

Now, on to the tree. What does "and the inside is all dried up" mean? The inside of the tree is dried up? Or something else. Unless the tree is some sort of hardy desert species it could very well be in need of a consistent source of moisture. But if it has been heavily stressed already there may be nothing you can do for it on your own. If you value the tree it might be well to call in an arborist to either diagnose it or give it the last rites.