Woodland Vole Identification Guide
Microtus pinetorum
The woodland vole is a small, burrowing rodent found across eastern North America. Also known as the pine vole, this secretive species lives almost entirely underground, feeding on roots and bark that can damage gardens, orchards, and landscape plantings.
Taxonomy
Woodland Vole Coloration
Common color patterns to help identify woodland vole
Woodland Vole
Seasonal Activity
When woodland vole are most active throughout the year
Where Woodland Vole Are Found
Hover over states to see their names. Green regions indicate where woodland vole have been reported.
Woodland Vole Identification Guide
Physical Characteristics
The woodland vole (Microtus pinetorum) is a small rodent built for a life spent mostly underground. Adults measure 3.25 to 4.75 inches in body length, with a very short tail of just 0.5 to 1.5 inches. They typically weigh between 0.5 and 1.3 ounces (14 to 37 grams).
Key features that set woodland voles apart from other small rodents include:
- Soft, dense fur with a reddish-brown to chestnut color on the back and cream or silvery-gray underneath
- Very short tail that makes up less than 20% of their total body length
- Small ears that are nearly hidden in the fur
- Tiny, sunken eyes adapted for their underground lifestyle
- Stocky, cylindrical body shaped for moving through narrow tunnels
- Strong front feet with sturdy claws designed for digging through soil
Woodland voles have noticeably softer fur than meadow voles, which have coarser coats with longer guard hairs.
Common Names
This species goes by several names depending on the region:
- Woodland vole (most widely used today)
- Pine vole (historically common, still used in many extension publications)
- Pine mouse (older literature)
Despite these names, woodland voles are not strongly associated with pine forests. They are most abundant in deciduous woodlands with thick leaf litter.
Woodland Vole Behavior and Biology
Habitat and Range
Woodland voles are found across the eastern United States, from New England south to northern Florida and west to the Great Plains states including Nebraska, Kansas, and eastern Texas. In Canada, small fragmented populations exist in southern Ontario and southern Quebec, where the species is considered of special concern by COSEWIC.
They prefer habitats with:
- Deep leaf litter in deciduous and mixed forests
- Loose, moist soils that support tunneling
- Dense ground cover, heavy mulch, or weed barriers
- Orchards, vineyards, and nurseries
- Landscaped beds with thick vegetation near the base of trees and shrubs
Underground Lifestyle
What makes woodland voles different from most other voles is how much time they spend below ground. They construct and maintain complex tunnel networks typically running 1 to 3 inches below the soil surface. These tunnels are roughly 1 to 1.5 inches in diameter and connect feeding areas, nesting chambers, and food storage sites.
Unlike meadow voles that create visible surface runways through grass, woodland vole tunnels are hidden from view. This makes their presence much harder to detect until plant damage becomes apparent.
Diet and Feeding
Woodland voles eat mostly plants, with a focus on underground plant parts:
- Roots and tubers of trees, shrubs, and garden plants
- Bark from the lower trunks of trees at or below the soil line
- Bulbs including flower bulbs and root vegetables
- Seeds and fallen fruit (seasonal)
- Grasses and forbs during the growing season
- Underground fungi and occasional insects
Because roots contain water, woodland voles rarely need to drink from standing water sources. They also cache food in their tunnels, storing seeds, tubers, and other plant material for winter use.
Reproduction and Life Cycle
Woodland voles breed from February through November, though breeding can extend year-round in warmer southern areas. Key reproductive facts:
- Pregnancy length: approximately 20 to 24 days
- Litter size: typically 2 to 4 pups
- Litters per year: 1 to 4
- Sexual maturity: reached within several weeks of birth
Unlike meadow voles, which are known for dramatic population booms and crashes, woodland vole numbers tend to remain relatively stable. In forests, you can expect roughly 6 to 10 voles per acre.
Year-Round Activity
Woodland voles are active throughout the year and do not hibernate. They are active both day and night within their tunnel systems. During winter, they continue feeding underground. When snow covers the ground, they may travel on the surface beneath the snow layer, where they are hidden from predators. This winter activity under snow can lead to bark damage on the lower portions of young trees.
Signs and Damage from Woodland Voles
Because woodland voles live underground, their presence is often hard to detect until damage is done. Watch for these signs:
- Declining plant health: Trees or shrubs that grow slowly, look off-color, or wilt without clear cause
- Spongy soil: Ground near tree bases feels soft or springy from tunnel networks below
- Small burrow openings: Holes about 1 to 1.5 inches wide near tree bases or in mulched areas
- Root and bark damage: Gnaw marks and girdled areas visible when soil is pulled back from trunks
- Missing bulbs: Flower bulbs or root vegetables that vanish underground
Woodland vole damage is most severe in orchards, where they are responsible for an estimated $50 million in annual losses to apple growers. They also harm young landscape trees and shrubs, garden root crops, and can create dead patches in lawns where tunneling severs grass roots.
Treatment Methods for Woodland Voles
Effective woodland vole management focuses on their underground habits and requires a combination of approaches:
Habitat Modification
Reducing favorable conditions is the most important first step:
- Remove heavy mulch from within 3 feet of tree trunks and valuable plantings
- Maintain vegetation-free zones around the base of trees
- Clear dense leaf litter from around landscape plants
- Reduce ground cover that provides continuous protective cover connecting to tunneled areas
- Mow regularly to limit cover near planting beds and orchard rows
Physical Exclusion
Barriers can protect individual high-value plants:
- Hardware cloth cylinders (1/4-inch mesh or smaller) installed around tree trunks and buried at least 6 inches deep into the soil
- Tree guards that extend below the soil line
- Wire mesh bottoms on raised garden beds to block tunneling from below
Trapping
For localized infestations, snap traps placed directly inside active tunnel systems can reduce populations:
- Use standard mouse-sized snap traps
- Locate active tunnels and place traps perpendicular to the tunnel direction
- Bait with peanut butter, apple slices, or an oatmeal mixture
- Cover trap placements with a board or shingle to exclude non-target animals
- Check traps regularly
Trapping is labor-intensive but targeted and non-chemical, making it well-suited for small garden areas.
Professional Rodenticide Application
For severe infestations, particularly in orchards, targeted subsurface bait placement by a licensed professional can be effective. Products are placed directly in active burrow openings rather than broadcast on the surface, reducing risk to non-target wildlife. Follow all label restrictions carefully, as some rodenticides approved for meadow voles may not be labeled for woodland vole control.
Prevention Tips
- Keep mulch depth to 2 to 3 inches and maintain a clear zone around tree trunks
- Remove fallen fruit and garden debris that provides food and cover
- Install tree guards at planting time on young trees
- Monitor regularly for early signs of tunnel activity or unexplained plant decline
- Avoid overwatering that keeps soil consistently moist and easy to tunnel through
Finding problems early gives the best results, since woodland vole damage is often severe before it becomes visible. For help telling voles from other small rodents, see our guides on meadow voles and house mice.
References
- Microtus pinetorum - Animal Diversity Web
- Woodland Vole Management Plan - Environment and Climate Change Canada
- Vole Management - Virginia Cooperative Extension
- Orchard Wildlife: Integrated Management of Voles - Penn State Extension
- Voles - Penn State Extension
- How to Manage Vole Damage - University of Minnesota Extension
- Common Pine Vole - Virginia DWR
Other Rodents
Explore other species in the rodents family
Commonly Confused With
Woodland Vole are often mistaken for these similar pests
Where Woodland Vole Are Found
Hover over states to see their names. Green regions indicate where woodland vole have been reported.
Common Questions about Woodland Vole
What is a woodland vole?
+
A woodland vole (Microtus pinetorum), also called a pine vole, is a small burrowing rodent found in eastern North America. It measures 3 to 5 inches long with a very short tail, reddish-brown fur, and small ears. Unlike other voles that live on the surface, woodland voles spend most of their lives underground in tunnel systems.
Are woodland voles the same as pine voles?
+
Yes. Woodland vole and pine vole are two common names for the same species, Microtus pinetorum. Despite the name, they do not prefer pine forests and are actually most common in deciduous woodlands, orchards, and landscaped areas with heavy ground cover.
What damage do woodland voles cause?
+
Woodland voles feed on roots, tubers, and bark below the soil line. They can girdle young trees and shrubs underground, often killing plants before the damage becomes visible above ground. They are particularly destructive in orchards and nurseries.
How can I tell if I have woodland voles in my yard?
+
Look for trees or shrubs that appear unhealthy without obvious cause, spongy soil near plant bases from tunnel networks, small burrow openings about 1 to 1.5 inches wide, and gnaw marks on roots or lower bark when soil is pulled away from trunks.
Do woodland voles come inside homes?
+
Woodland voles very rarely enter homes. They are highly adapted to underground living and strongly prefer outdoor habitats with deep leaf litter, mulch, and loose soil. If you see a small rodent indoors, it is much more likely a house mouse.
How do woodland voles differ from meadow voles?
+
Woodland voles are smaller, have shorter tails, softer reddish-brown fur, and spend most of their time underground. Meadow voles are larger, have longer tails, coarser brown or gray fur, and create visible surface runways through grass. Woodland voles damage roots below ground, while meadow voles damage stems and bark above ground.
Are woodland voles active year-round?
+
Yes, woodland voles do not hibernate. They remain active in their underground tunnels through all seasons, continuing to feed on roots and bark even during winter. Under snow cover, they may travel above ground where they are protected from predators.
With five years of hands-on experience in the pest control industry, George Schulz is a registered technician with the Virginia Pest Management Association and a proud third-generation professional in a family business that's been protecting homes for over 57 years. He manages and trains a team of service pros while also leading internal research efforts—recently spearheading a deep-dive review of thousands of documents on pest control materials to hand-pick the most kid and pet friendly, most effective solutions tailored specifically for homes in the DC metro area.