Did the deer kill my pines??

[marty]

Went back on the property today the deer have chomped a lot of my young pines. They seem to really hit the whote pines the most. My questions is are thses trees done or will the bounce back. They seem to have nip all the needels off. Is there a tree they won't eat?........thanks marty

[Jeff]

Marty! I just fixed your spell checker! It must not have been working for this post. (Just yankig YOUR chain this time!;)

B.T.W. Good question.

[marty]

he he he yea that's what I get for trying to type without my old man glasses. Guess I'd never make it as a typist.........marty  PS what is yankig??

[Jeff]

I beleive I must have wrote that before I fixed the spell check:o !!  That would be "Yanking"

[marty]

I "beleive' you're correct.......marty;D

[Bill Johnson]

Not being an expert by any means I would say that as long as there is some green foliage left on your pine trees there is always hope that they will come back.
The problem will be that the growth will be stunted and you could end up with trees that look like puff balls, depending on the frequency and severity of the damage.
I've been doing a little checking and it would seem that depending on the number of trees you have planted and the area involved you might be able to take some preventive measures to stop the browsing from happening in the future.
The pamphlet that I read said that if you applied Thiram (tetramethyl thiuram disulfide) as a taste repellent it might put the deer off. It can be applied in the autumn on a warm dry day and may last all winter. It can be applied by brush or plant sprayer. The repellent should have a latex or sticky resin base to make sure it sticks to the surface being treated, apparently most nurseries carry these products and should be able to provide advice on how to use it.
The other suggestion was to hang bags of blood meal every 15 feet, 1 8 oz bag to a section but you have to keep replacing any bags that raccoons or other animals carry off.
Hope this helps a little, I will talk with the bio to see if he has any insights.
Bill

[Bill Johnson]

After talking to the bio about this the general opinion is that the survival of the seedlings will depend on the extent of the browsing and the age of the tree.
Trees which were planted last spring or in the fall will be more likely to die as a result of heavy browsing, as opposed to trees that have been established for a couple of years, a lot of this has to do with the root systems ability to store energy. The younger the tree=less energy stored.
So if they are a couple of years old, and still have some green foliage left, there is always hope.
Hope this helps a little
Bill

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[marty]

I hope they come back some of the trees were 3-4 foot high. They don't want us to feed the deer but now the deer eat anything they can find. I guess the only way is to cover up the trees but I planted 1300 of them would take me lots of money and a group of time. Thanks for the info Bill guess I'll have to wait and see.......marty

[Forester Frank]

The M-18 Claymore mine works well for getting rid of deer, but it is probably overkill. It may also get rid of your trees, your soil, and whatever else is in its path.

[Forester Frank]

Seriously - Bill's bio-friend is correct. Sounds like they will survive, but future tree form may suffer if the terminal shoot is destroyed. Try pruning to improve form / shape so that one of the branches closest to the top becomes the dominant leader / stem.

Good luck and keep planting those trees.

[Effja Rokawba]

I think your way over due for National Guard duty Frank. You better get over to grayling and start peeling potatos, cause I know there not going to let you play with claymores.