Any Idea What Got to My Baby Trees?

Hey everyone,

New planter here. I recently put some bare root hazelnut trees in the ground that were seemed to be doing great. Woke up this morning to discover two of the three basically snipped in half. I’m just a little baffled. Looks like someone came through with clippers and just snipped them. Pics below.

Anybody know what kind of pest would be responsible? Do certain rodents like to chew small trees? We have lots of squirrels and a mole but that’s about it. Neighborhood stray cats too but I just don’t know would would do it.

Pretty upset right now 😩

Anyways, all help is appreciated.

that’s a rabbit-style snip.

Thank you. Such a bummer but good to gain the knowledge on the culprit. Years ago I haphazardly threw a persimmon in the ground and it was exactly the same. For the longest I thought I accidentally mowed it, the cut was so perfect!

Anyways, looks like I’m throwing up some chicken wire. Thanks again!

I didn't appreciate the absolute damage that a little rabbit can do to small trees. I lost a fairly well establishing apple tree start from winter chewing.

I recommend putting a wire cage around the trunk of young saplings to discourage the rabbits in the future. Remove once you get some girth to the trunks.

Perhaps inappropriate for this post but, is there a way to clone the clipped ends? I’d just really love to save these trees. Same goes for the roots still in the ground — will they still try to grow? More importantly, of course protecting from further rabbit damage, is there anything I can to encourage development in the various pieces of plants I have now? 😅

I’ve got the rabbit made cuttings soaking in water. Can this miraculously work in my favor, turning two hazelnut trees into four? 😬

Thanks in advance for any responses.

I personally am unsure of how resilient hazelnuts are but when a rabbit took off the top of my bush cherry, it split into three new leaders that have grown and flowered this year.

Perhaps the rooted portions will do the same thing, you can either let it grow bushy or train a new leader?

it’s likely that the rooted sections will be able to grow out.

i have my doubts that there’s enough energy stored in those skinny twigs to grow new roots. much more likely with a thicker, maybe pencil-thick twig.

you have got to protect little itty bitty trees like that when planting outside in the wilds. get yourself some hardware cloth with 1/4" , 3/8" or even 1/2" mesh size and some hog rings and hog ring pliers and make some sleeves 3-4" diameter to put over the young saplings.
ive got trees 2-4' tall that the deer munch away on at times and this is combatted with severe over planting, yeah the deer and rabbits have to eat too and they know whats good.

Jordan Holmes wrote: is there a way to clone the clipped ends? I’d just really love to save these trees. Same goes for the roots still in the ground — will they still try to grow?

In my experience hazels don't root well from cuttings. They are usually propagated be seed, or clones by layering - burying the stool so that each twig reroots whilst still being attached to the original root system. A bit like apples, the cuttings just don't seem to take.
The portion in the ground ought to be OK though, although as previous posters have said they may well come back multistemmed.