DEER CONTROL OPTIONS::

One of the worst enemies of the chestnut growers (there are many of both) is the common white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). Boy, they are cute, aren't they. And hungry!

Some prefer leaded control, but when you don't have the time, equipment, or law on your side for such a pasttime, I recommend checking out some of the following options. There are several available for any grower, from the organic to the disgruntled.

A good first place to start your exploration of options is this file, a PDF derived from a presentation given by PA-TACF Treasurer and grower, Tim Eck at the 2005 Spring Growers Meeting in Hershey, PA.
PowerPoint presentation by Tim Eck given at 2005 PA-TACF Spring Growers Meeting - PDF, ~431KB in size

The first place many first-time growers turn are plastic tree tubes. After seeing many a good chestnut tree ruined by the use of tall plastic tree shelters, I recommend against their use, particularly with chestnut trees. Short tree shelters are typically fine; I recommend nothing over 2.5-3 feet in height, and would rather see something between 1-2 feet high. Those heights *will not* protect from deer, but can protect from rodent and herbicide damage. The following document expands on the PA Chapter's experience with tree shelters.
The Use of Plastic Tree Tubes - updated spring 2005 - PDF, ~250 KB

Perhaps the most effective, although certainly not the cheapest, option of deer control is fencing. Several TACF growers have implemented various types of fencing strategies. Click here to be taken to the section on fencing options.

DEER REPELLENTS:

There are some cheaper options for keeping deer off of your chestnut trees, one of which is using deer repellents. Here is a fantastic website from the Walnut Council that covers the testing of several repellent types: Deer Repellent Study from the Walnut Council. In addition, the Reforestation, Nurseries and Genetic Resources (RNGR) team, a collaborative through the USFS, produced a test of several repellents, the results of which they published in the Winter 2002 issue of "Forestry Nursery Notes" (Thanks to Tim Phelps for this link).

TACF growers have had good experience with a homemade egg spray as well as with latex-based repellents. Egg sprays may be applied with backpack or other automatic sprayers as long as the mixture is prepared properly and the equipment is cleaned well following application. Latex based repellents will clog equipment. Many growers prefer to use disposable spray applicators to apply these types of repellents. A couple of repellents that are preferred by our growers are Bitrex, which is found in Tree Guard, and PlantSkydd. All repellents require multiple applications to be effective.

Egg Spray: I have heard numerous growers sing the praises of this method. It works well -- AS LONG AS YOU PERSERVERE IN ITS APPLICATION. On slip-up and *ding ding ding* it's dinnertime. During the summer, you should apply the mixture once every two weeks, as well as after any rainfall event. The method is described in detail by TACF member Chandis Klinger in his article titled, "Protecting Young Plants with Brush and Eggs". The article is in volume 7, issue 1 of the journal (Fall/Winter 1992), and is available for download from TACF's website: http://www.acf.org/journal.htm.

Garlic Pencils; Garlic Oil Dispensers: Available from Gemplers.
I've heard mixed reviews on these. They may work in areas with very low deer pressure, but under high pressure, they appear to be merely a physical barrier. As I heard one person say about their experience with this product, "Clothespins would have been cheaper and just as effective".


FENCING

The more volunteer growers TACF has and the longer they grow chestnut trees for our breeding program, the more case studies we obtain toward the planting, breeding, maintenance and care for those trees. Below are pictures showing two examples of fencing types erected to protect chestnut trees, along with some information about their effectiveness and areas in which they were planted.

Costs of Fencing types - updated spring 2006 -- Excel file, ~ 20KB

If you only have a few trees to protect, 10-20 or so (with 50 about being the maximum in my book), you may want to consider the use of individual wire cages. The American Chestnut Cooperators Foundation has a webpage devoted to the construction of these cages here: ACCF Cages. Above a maximum of about 50 trees, it typically makes financial sense to erect a more permanent fencing structure.

Greg Weaver of our Tennessee Chapter has compiled this document which describes his experiences in making a homemade fence. Click here to download a copy of that document (PDF file, 184KB)

(click on images to go to larger versions)::

		To the left and above are photos from Blair Carbaugh's American and BC3F2 orchards. He established 6' tall plastic fencing around his two plantings. Costs for these fences can be found in the Excel spreadsheet above. 6' fences may not be enough, especially in areas where deer pressure is heavy, where other food sources are not abundant, and/or where a grower will not be around the planting often in order to "scare away the deer. For those growers, see the next set of pictures. Below are pictures from the Thorpewood planting in Maryland. The managers at this planted established an 8' tall plastic fence around their planting in the year 2001/2002 and have had very few maintenance issues. A cost comparison for the fencing has not been established. Of major interest for this fencing is the time it has held up, the size of the planting is surrounds (approximately 1.5-2 acres) and that it is surrounded by woods on three sides. The latter is of major interest in that trees have not fallen on the orchard. Also of particular interest is that bear attacks have not been felt at this orchard, although bear have been seen in the area.

DEER WORKSHOP 2005::

Deer in Your Backyard: PA-TACF is co-sponsoring, along with over 60 other organizations, a series of deer management seminars entitled "Deer in Your Backyard: How to Deal the Challenges of Overabundant Deer in Your Community". A full list of speakers, dates, and locations with directions can be found by clicking here (PDF, 87KB in size) or by going to the official website: http://www.ecosysmp.com