The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) can significantly influence the diversity, longevity and sustainability of rural woodlands, forests and maple syrup sugarbushes. As selective browsers, deer will eat some plants more readily than they eat other plants, unless of course deer fencing is utilized to prevent this. Many of the tree species deer prefer to consume are valued by owners as sources of timber, maple syrup, or as food-producing trees for wildlife, such as oak and maple. Deer also eat many native wildflower and understory plants.
The effects of deer browsing on woodlands and sugar-bushes can have long-lasting effects (called “legacy” effects) that persist for decades after deer impacts are reduced. In areas with a history of deer overabundance, the failure to establish and grow new, young trees is having a detrimental effect on woodlands and the potential to keep these areas healthy and diverse.
Under high deer impact, deer eat the plants that are used to assess if there is a problem. As deer impact increases, the evidence for deer impact de-creases. To an untrained eye, a heavily browsed woods may appear, open, park-like and picturesque rather than degraded and impoverished. In woodlands, the evidence for the over-abundance of deer include one or more of these features:
- Park-like appearance in the woods
- An understory dominated by invasive shrubs
- An understory dominated by ferns
- An understory dominated by non-palatable woody brush
- A browse line of the lower tree canopy
- Cropped or “Bonsai” tree seedlings
- Absence of, or stunted, wildflowers such as Trillium, Indian cucumber, or Jack-in-the-pulpit.
The cost savings is through the use of low-value trees as living fence posts, and avoids the purchase and installation costs of fence posts. However, rather than attaching fencing directly to the tree, a bat-ten strip made of pressure treated wood is attached to the tree with a nail and fender washer. At most one or two nails per tree are used. On fence corners the trees should be 7” – 8” dbh (diameter at breast height), but trees as small as 3” dbh will suffice on straight runs of the fence. As the tree grows, it pushes against the batten strip, which pushes against the fender washer, which floats the nail. The design prevents the typical situation where the tree grows around the fence material. If after 5 to 10 years the seedlings may be at a safe height, and the fence can be removed.
Plastic Mesh Fencing
Plastic mesh fencing involves higher material costs but less time invested in labor for installation. Plastic mesh fencing is available on the Internet through numerous suppliers using a search for “poly mesh deer fence.” Mesh size used in this project is approximately 2” x 2”, but other sizes might be equally effective. Current designs started with a 10 ft x 330 ft roll of mesh fence on a cardboard spindle, cut in half with a chainsaw. The fence height was 5 ft. Some vendors offer 7 ft fencing which is likely to be more effective at excluding deer by al-lowing for a lower apron at ground level and taller height, but with added costs of labor to install.
High Tensile Fencing
High tensile fencing involves lower material costs but almost twice as much time and thus increased labor costs. It involves the use of standard 12 gauge high-tensile galvanized wire that is secured to trees that form the perimeter of the fenced area.