By JOHN COLES
SEX-MAD squirrels are destroying trees in an ancient forest — to try to impress their girlfriends.
The nutty boys tear off strips of bark with their large front teeth as a mating ritual.
Now the grey squirrel population has boomed to 20,000 in the Forest of Dean, Gloucs — meaning trees are in danger of being gnawed to death.
Forestry Commission surveyor Rob Guest said: “We are just getting to the damage season, and we have heavy numbers of squirrels this year.”
Normally, over half of an area’s squirrels population die each year.
But a fruitful autumn last year, followed by a mild winter, means many were well-fed and survived to sow their wild acorns.
Now there are more than ever of the randy creatures which chase females through the treetops and mate noisily.
The forest, once a Royal hunting ground, has oak, beech, chestnut, pine, fir and spruce trees, making it particularly attractive as a squirrel love-nest.
Some males strip bark right round trunks, leaving trees to wither and die.
Others gnaw one side, making a tree weak so it snaps or is attacked by fungus.
Charles Dutton, of the European Squirrel Institute, said: “Squirrels get a sugary substance from the sap, but it’s also a process of domination between adult males for territory and females.”
Forestry chiefs say they do not have the resources to cull squirrels.
Mr Guest said: “We will be calculating the damage over the next month.”