Do possums eat native trees

Possums do eat native vegetation. This is not a problem in Australia, where the possums and plants are adapted to each other. However, possums are causing considerable destruction to New Zealand's environment, to which they were introduced in the 1800s.

They feed on the vegetation, reducing its availability for native species, and nest in the trees, forcing smaller species out. There are no natural predators of the possum in New Zealand, so their population has increased dramatically.

Possums strip the native plants of leaves, buds, flowers, fruits and seeds, meaning less chances of propagation. New Zealand trees do not have defensive chemicals of some Australian native trees, meaning the possums can continue to eat from one tree until the tree has been severely affected.

Many of these plant species are disappearing from the New Zealand forests, and allowing invasive non-native species to take hold of the forests.