Can Gophers Kill Mature Trees? What Every Southern California Homeowner Should Know

Yes — and this surprises many homeowners who assume that a mature tree is too large and established to be seriously damaged by a small burrowing rodent. In fact, mature trees are often more attractive to gophers than young trees because their root systems are larger, more established, and provide more food. The damage a gopher can cause to a tree that took decades to establish can be severe and permanent.

How Gophers Kill Trees

Pocket gophers feed primarily on roots, bulbs, and underground plant material. When a gopher encounters a tree root system, it feeds on the fine feeder roots first — the small roots responsible for water and nutrient uptake. As the infestation continues, the gopher works its way toward progressively larger structural roots. When a gopher girdles a root — chews through it completely around its circumference — it cuts off the flow of water and nutrients to everything above that point. Girdling of major lateral roots can kill entire sections of a tree's canopy. If the main root collar is girdled, the entire tree dies.

The process is not always fast or visible above ground. A tree under gopher attack may appear healthy for weeks or months while its root system is being progressively damaged below ground. Sudden wilting, dieback of specific branches, or unexpected death of a previously healthy tree are often the first above-ground signs of a root-feeding gopher infestation that has been active underground for some time.

Which Trees Are Most at Risk

In Southern California, fruit trees — citrus, avocado, stone fruit, and apple — are particularly vulnerable because their root systems are shallow and extensive, making them easy for gophers to access and heavily feed on. Ornamental trees with fleshy root systems including jacaranda, liquidambar, and various ornamental figs are commonly damaged. Heritage roses, which are woody plants with substantial root systems, are frequently targeted. Even large established oaks can be damaged by sustained gopher feeding on their fine feeder roots, particularly in areas with high gopher pressure near foothill open space.

Signs That Gophers Are Attacking Your Trees

Fresh mounds near the base of a tree are the most obvious warning sign. If mounds appear within a few feet of a tree trunk, gophers are feeding in that root zone. Other signs include: wilting or yellowing of leaves that cannot be explained by irrigation problems; sudden dieback of branches or sections of canopy; a tree that seems to decline despite normal watering; and fresh mound activity that trails toward established trees from an open area of lawn.

The Irreversibility of Root Damage

This is the critical point for homeowners in Pasadena, Beverly Hills, Redlands, Claremont, and other cities with significant mature landscape investments: root damage from gopher feeding cannot be undone. A gopher that kills a 40-year-old avocado tree, a heritage rose that was planted decades ago, or an established specimen oak causes permanent loss. No amount of after-the-fact treatment recovers what was destroyed. Early intervention — treating gopher activity at the first sign of mounds near valued trees — is the only way to protect mature landscape investments.

Related Articles

• Gophers and Irrigation Systems — What Gets Damaged and How to Prevent It
• How Much Damage Can One Gopher Do?
• How Long Does Gopher Control Take?

Call 909-599-4711 if you see gopher activity near valued trees. Early treatment is the only way to protect mature landscape investments.