Hi, I did a search here for "sapsucker damage" and quite a lot came up, its worth reading. -

Here is a link that might be useful: http://search.gardenweb.com/search/nph-ind.cgi?term=sapsucker+damage

What kind of tree?

I have seen sapsucker holes on some Norway spruce trees, but generally they tolerate the damage well. There is one group of NS at the Virginia Arboretum that seems to be attacked hard and repeatedly. But except for the bleeding sap, it doesn't seem to have harmed the trees--certainly they have not been weakened.

One tree at my timberland was attacked hard, and one portion of the trunk developed a dead spot. But after about 10 years new wood and bark covered the area and the tree seems fine now. Others there have been attacked with no ultimate damage.

With other species of trees, the damage may be more severe or fatal. If there is some disease that can enter through the sap covered wounds, you will have a more serious problem.

--Spruce

My mother has a Tulip tree that is pocked with holes. Lines and lines of holes all over the trunk and large branches.

She really loves this tree, has got 16 years into it, reaching a nice size finally. Tree LOOKS fine, lots of leaves and blooms in spring. Not much sap dripping that I can see. I did drag her out, showed her the tree and holes. She was quite amazed at the number of lines and holes. Tree was planted about 17 years ago, but has grown very well. She is going to have her friend, the tree manager for the city, take a look and see what he says.

With the good looks, I am not sure there is any damage hurting tree yet. Not sure if holes are sapsucker or woodpecker damage. Not the bigger round holes I think of with woodpeckers. Tree did have a scar on lower trunk which is growing over as the years pass. May be weakened, have bugs inside that are not evident to my untrained eyes. Woodpeckers go after problem bugs, don't usually start trouble in the tree.

Anyway, I have warned Mom that tree may get weakened, have to come down with all the damage it is showing. She has a second Tulip going in the yard, which has grown 5ft in the couple years since planting. She will have at least one left.

The main problem I have with sapsuckers on other kinds of trees than NS (I mentioned that because anita described sap running down the tree, making me think of pitch from a pine or spruce), is that they degrade the value of the timber I cut. For an extreme example, a black cherry tree that has sapsucker damage that could have been worth $1,000, with the "bird peck" will be worth less than $100, and maybe a lot less than that. But usually the health of cherry and maple trees that have had sapsucker damage is not really affected.

If a sapsucker pecks a maple tree during the time the sap is running, you will see a lot of sap dripping down the tree. But I am not sure if this is the time the sapsuckers are present.

Anyway, for a landscape tree, I would not worry about it too much.

--Spruce

In my area, sapsuckers favor maples and hollies. Ornamental pears get drilled sometimes too.