Can woodpeckers are destroying my tree be fixed without removing the tree?
The question is whether the underlying condition can be, not the bird damage. Sapsucker rows need no treatment; burlap or hardware cloth wrapped over the feeding zone deters them if the look bothers you. Blonding on ash sends you straight to the ash borer decision. Deep pileated holes mark an internal decay column that already exists — the tree may be perfectly stable or seriously hollow, and only a hands-on look at remaining wall thickness at that point settles it. Bird deterrents treat none of this.
How long you have to decide
Sapsucker damage can be watched indefinitely with no action. Foraging damage on an ash should be acted on within the current growing season, because birds usually show up when the infestation is already well established. Deep excavation holes justify an inspection within a few weeks if the tree overhangs something you care about — not because the holes spread quickly, but because they mark decay that has been advancing invisibly for years and only just became visible.
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