Salt-licks for the control of damage by mammals to the bark of Pinus radiata in the Ovens Valley, North-eastern Victoria.  G. Minko, R. S. Beasley and L. A. Stephens.  August 1980.  8 pp. (unpubl.)

SUMMARY

The effectiveness of a commercial salt-lick was examined for controlling barking damage caused by animals in young stands of Pinus radiata in the Ovens Valley, north-eastern Victoria.

Barking damage appears to have been caused by the black-tailed (swamp) wallaby (Wallabia bicolor) and was found to be related to accessibility of trees to mammals, age of trees, type of bark and possibly, to variations in dietary needs.

The results indicate that, although the damage cannot be illuminated, it can be significantly reduced by use of a salt-lick, which, in this case, contained magnesium oxide, salt and molasses.