On Wed, 15 Jul 1998, Darrel K. Whipple wrote:

[snipo..]

>
> Well, I guess if Dad wants to keep his mountain ash alive and healthy in his
> yard, we ought to at least surround the trunk with wire mesh or something to
> protect that part of the tree. Too bad for me; I'll miss the birds.

Darrel--

I wouldn't think the sapsuckers would do this tree in..I've
seen lots of trees, mostly fruit trees, that were absolutely
riddles with holes but were thriving. We talked about this
tonight on the Bird Talk radio show and co-host Jim Pruske
actually made a case for the tree being better off with the
sapsucker working on it as it stimulates new bark growth
and ultimately makes the tree stronger. We have a fruit
tree on campus here that looks like it's well ventilated
and it's thriving..

Tell your Dad to get his camera out and get some great shots
of some really terrific birds at work...invite his friends
over to tea and hand them bins to watch. What a privilege
it is to have them in his yard..

Tom