Damage to ornamental plants by white-tailed deer has increased during the past decade. This has been associated with:

1. increasing deer abundance,
2. human population.shifts to rural and suburban homesites,
3. the maturing of abandoned agricultural lands into deer habitat,
4. landowner decisions to prevent deer hunting, and
5. restrictions on firearms use in suburban regions.

In the short run, this situation is largely irreversible. Damage problems, particularly in suburban areas having good quality deer habitat, are likely to intensify in the future. Clearly, elimination of hunting, due to firearms restrictions, safety concerns and changed landowner values, will only increase damage in these areas.

Deer-Feeding Habits

Deer are selective feeders. They forage on plants or plant parts with considerable discrimination. Their obvious preference for, and apparent avoidance of, certain plants can be turned to our advantage. Costly browsing damage may be reduced or eliminated by planting less-preferred species or by establishing susceptible plants only in areas protected from deer.

Whether or not a particular plant species or variety will be eaten depends on the deer's previous experience, nutritional needs, plant palatability, seasonal factors, weather conditions and the availability of alternative foods. Deer are creatures of habit, and prior movement patterns or foraging experience can foretell where damage will occur. Deer also are known to feed selectively on fertilized plantings and managed croplands. New plantings added to an existing landscape already severely damaged by deer will likely suffer extreme browsing pressure.

In general, the most damage takes place when winter snow cover has reduced food availability. Rather than face starvation, deer will browse even the most resistant plants during periods of food shortage. Under such conditions, other damage control measures should be combined with careful plant selection. Ultimately, a reduction in deer herd size is the most effective solution to the damage problem.

Plant-Damage Comparisons

Table 1 provides a guide to the relative likelihood of deer damage to many ornamental woody plants used by Northeast landscape contractors and property owners. This information can be useful both for selecting plants that are unlikely to be damaged by deer as well as for identifying those ornamentals that frequently require protection.

The comparisons are based on the combined experiences and numerical rankings of nursery operators, landscape contractors, Cornell Cooperative Extension personnel, research staff and other professional horticulturists from the northeastern states. The information was derived from personal communications, published articles and unpublished reports.

The user is cautioned that the deer-browsing resistance of any plant species may change due to fluctuations in deer populations, alternative food availability and environmental factors mentioned previously. No plant species will be avoided by deer under all conditions.

Plants listed in the Rarely Damaged category are infrequently fed upon by deer and are the best candidates for landscapes prone to deer damage. Deer sometimes. feed on ornamentals listed as Seldom Severely Damaged, but damage is usually minor and has limited effect on the shape or attractiveness of the plant. The category Occasionally Severely Damaged includes plants which may be severely damaged by deer. Finally, ornamental plants in the category Frequently Severely Damaged appear to be preferred by deer, and usually require physical or chemical protection whenever deer are present. Before planting, check the species listed in Table 1 (by common name) to ensure that they are adapted for your local climatic and soil conditions.

M.J. Fargione, P.D. Curtis and M.E. Richmond, Wildlife Damage Management Program, Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University

Originally published: Hort Impact. 1992. Volume 92-11. pp. 1-3.

ipm@canr.cag.uconn.edu

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