Winter browse protection for trees

Fall is here and now is the time to start thinking about how you are going to protect your seedlings from deer browse this winter.

Not all trees are browsed the same, but during cold harsh winters, any tree is subject to browse.

White pines, jack pines, and cedar often see some of the most occurrence of browse but when the deer are hungry they will quickly go after other trees such as red pines and even spruce. The severity of browsing is affected by the surrounding habitat, the number of deer and presence of alternate browse species.

Some of the different protection options are:

Plantskydd: a blood-based liquid mixture that is sprayed on the seedling. Plantskydd is good for large quantities or when fencing isn’t feasible, it lasts up to 6 months, is organic and is low-cost.

Bud-capping with paper: used on pine seedlings. A 4” x 6” piece of paper is wrapped around the terminal (top) bud and stapled. Bud-capping is low cost and the tree grows out the top in the spring so there is no need to remove them. The downside of bud-capping is it’s time-consuming, needs to be done annually and the deer may learn to pull off the caps.

Balloon-capping: used to protect hardwood trees. A balloon is placed over the top shoot and stapled at the bottom. The balloon degrades over the winter so typically there’s no need to remove it in the spring. Balloon-capping is low cost but cumbersome to put on and will blow off if not stapled correctly.

Cages: construct cages out of 2”x4” mesh cut into 5-foot lengths and stake with lathe or rebar. Cages offer very effective protection especially when using 5’ tall wire. They require minimal maintenance but can be time-consuming and expensive to install.

If you have rodent problems, you will also need to protect your trees from mice and rabbits. Trees can be protected from rodent damage by placing a cylinder of ¼ inch mesh hardware cloth around the trunk. The cylinder should extend 2 to 3 inches below the ground line for mice and 18 to 24 inches above anticipated snow line for rabbit protection. Hardware cloth can be left on year-round but it must be larger than the trunk to allow for growth. For small trees plastic tree guards are also effective. Plantskydd will also work for rabbits.

For technical advice on various options call your local DNR Forestry office or the Lake of the Woods Soil and Water office at 218-634-1842 ext. 4. The SWCD also has Plantskydd available for purchase.