So far, late fall has been pretty kind to most of upstate New York, but you never know -- we could have a deep snow cover very soon.

The problem that poses with trees is that all of that snow cover provides protection to voles, which can burrow beneath the snow and get to the trunk of your trees. Rabbits can also be a problem if the snow crusts over and they can scoot along the top of the snow and get higher up on the tree.

To protect you trees from that type of damage, you can take drain pipe and cut it to wrap around the base of your trees, or you can use a wire mesh or hardware cloth.

Both can be very useful in protecting your trees, especially from vole damage. But you need to be sure that no matter which one you use, that you bury it at least an inch or two below the ground or mulch. Otherwise the voles can get under it and feed on the bark of your trees.