O/T: Deer Damaged Tree, what to do

I know way off topic...only reason I ask is a lot of you are significantly smarter than me...


I listened to the wife and bought some $100 trees... 1 1/2" caliper October Glory maples...

Of course in about 2 weeks and Mr Buck comes along to mark his land. Took a lot of bark off about 3 feet of the tree, about 1/2 way around.

What should I do to help the tree now?

(The others are getting corrugated drain pipe around them.)

Had the same thing happen to a Cleveland pear two years ago....about 1/2 or the bark and cadmium layer gone for about 3'. I wrapped it in chicken wire and let it go. Nothing you can do, the tree will heal itself or it won't. Mine is growing fine but looks ugly in that area.

Joe you need to seal up the damage or bacteria and disease will get into it. The bark transmits sap so if half of the bark is still in tact all the way up it may survive. Parafin wax will seal it up, there is commercial products available. I have even used roofing compound to seal up trees damaged by lawnmower decks. One job I did there were about 140 trees, the kids cutting the grass had gouged about half of them. I sealed them and never lost any, I did give the guys a lecture about scuffing trees with lawn mowers. I put out 200 trees several years ago..the deer pulled out and ate the cedars, the pines all grew until big enough for deer to rub, lost several of them..sounds like you can save this tree. Get a piece of black plastic field tile, slit it and snap it on over top after repairs, that will protect the bark from the deer.

My sister in law came riding in here on a horse one day. The darned thing grabbed ahold of a big piece of bark on a young tree and took off about 2 feet a third of the way around it. I used some roofing cement on it. Just smeared it on with a putty knife. It kept the sap from leaking out.

I know how you feel, I personally think they need to have an open season on these varmits. The deere in my area have destroyed more trees that I can count. I took a cattle panel and cut it into three pieces then looped the each end of the panel into an eye then I took a peice of 1/2" rebar and inserted into the loops to make a hinge. connecting all ends together this makes a triangle that I put around the tree. With the rebar longer than the panel is high I drive them into the ground holding the cage in place. I have put several of these around my fruit trees. They can be easily removed to mow around the tree and replaced afterward.

When I do major pruning or have damage such as this, I spray the area with automotive "spray undercoating".
Has worked for me for many years.

All the advice below is good, as far as caring for the tree. If you're not already a deer hunter, maybe it's time you started. Deer populations are getting out of hand, for many reasons...fewer hunters, suburban encroachment on former deer habitat, and many other reasons. That's why car-deer collisions are up nearly everywhere.

So, since you can't change the nature of the deer, you must first protect your trees...then do something about the deer population problem. There are separate archery, modern firarms, and muzzle-loading firearm seasons around here, so there is plenty of opportunity to deal with the other side of your problem. And if you don't like or want the meat, there are programs by which you can donate the deer for a feed-the-hungry program in many communities.

Of course, you might have to sacrifice some time normally spent in the La-Z-Boy watching football and drinking beer [if you do that sort of thing], but if you think of it as simply the cost of protecting your [expensive] trees, it won't hurt as much.

Eat Da deer

Spray the damaged area with spray on undercoating for automobiles.

Put the deer in the freezer. They make good steaks and jerky.

I would go to a tree expert as i have heard them on the radio and seems like they say to let it alone and it will heal itself.

Put an electric fence around the yard. One strand about waist high will usually deter them, but daughter had to add 2 more strands around her yard.

KEH

I had a pear tree in a yard I used to have. The deer wouldn't leave it alone until I started peeing around it ocasionally. I know. Sounds like neanderthal behavior, but it works. Plus I lived alone then.
The deer smell the urine and leave thinking they have wandered into a predator's territory. The last 2 years I lived there I never had any more deer attacks on that tree.

I use 2" X 4" welded wire fence. I cut enough to make a 4 or 5' diameter circle around the trees (I protect my 5' nut and fruit trees this way) and drive a stake or two, to keep them place. I've done this for 6 years, and haven't had any damage this way

I reverse tape the first layer of elctrical tape and then flip it over and tape a normal layer.If I just bought the tree I have small round piece of mesh fence to keep them back from the trunk and some of the branches.They dont rub the tape at all for some reason.

I have smeared roofing asphalt compound on more than a few trees. Usually tractor damaged. Most recovered.

Use both methods . P on the deer and the tree. Works great.

Remington .270

Joe,

I do grow landscape trees, but like everyone else I can only offer my opinion and experience.

Earlier wisdom was to protect the damaged area, most people would use spray on underbody coating or similar.

Current wisdom is to leave it alone and let it heal naturally. (coating the damaged area supposedly does not allow it to breathe and heal correctly).

From my experience, I have done both, sprayed damaged trees and left them alone (open) to heal. From my experience it hasn't made a difference on survival.

What has made a difference, was the severity of damage. The worse the damage, the higher mortality, regardless whether I left it alone or sprayed it with underbody rustproofing or even paint.

I use 4" drain tile slit with a knife and cut it as tall as the first branch.

Growing trees are the reason I like coyotes, hawks and owls. The birds keep the mice and rabbits in check and the coyotes help control the deer.

Some tree supply houses sell pre-cut corragated tile for this purpose in 2, 3, and 4". I find it easier to just use 4" on everything and recycle on the next batch of trees.

For what its worth, October glorys are a nice tree and will look nice in just a few years. I planted 300 of them in 2007.

You can forget all of the above and hunt, but that just buys you time until next year, when the next buck comes along.

Me, I hunt and wrap the trees. Couple hundred or so.

Rick