When digging, groundhogs help aerate soil. Roots, like all other parts of the plant, have to respire, taking in oxygen and emitting carbon dioxide. In unturned soil, roots deplete their limited oxygen while CO2accumulates, making it hard for them to ‘breathe.

Are groundhogs beneficial?

They provide food for coyotes, foxes, weasels, badgers, hawks, and eagles. Their burrows give shelter to amphibians, reptiles, smaller rodents, and even larger animals such as foxes. If you have a woodchuck burrow on your property and don’t have any conflicts with its occupants we say—let it be.

Do groundhogs serve a purpose?

In addition to feeding predators, and ridding us of those pesky extra vegetables, another benefit woodchucks provide is soil aeration. While digging their burrows, they move large amounts of subsoil. Groundhogs are designed for digging.

If not properly controlled, groundhogs can cause serious structural damage when burrowing. Their tunnels break apart building foundations, and they will often chew through electrical wires and irrigation systems that may be in their way.