Protecting Plants from Deer Damage in Central Texas

The white-tailed deer is a familiar sight to anyone living in Austin and other areas of Central Texas. It is not unusual for Austinites to find families of deer lounging in their front yards during the night and early morning, even in developed residential communities. Unfortunately, deer can also be a major nuisance in urban areas due to the damage they often cause to trees, landscape and garden plants. The overpopulation of white-tailed deer in Central Texas means more competition for food, leading deer to consume plants and shrubs that may otherwise be left alone.

With an overpopulation of deer and a shortage of other food sources, deer in Central Texas often turn to garden and landscape plants for nourishment, much to the dismay of property owners. One method that may help reduce or prevent damage to plants is the application of deer repellant, which can be applied to individual plants or an entire area of a lawn.

Another option is to experiment with using plants that deer tend not to prefer, though a hungry deer will eat practically anything and this approach may take some trial, error and luck. Flowering plants such as geraniums, daffodils and begonias as well as shrubs like boxwood, butterfly bush and most thorny bushes are generally avoided by deer as long as more attractive food sources are available. If you want to landscape your yard with the preferences of deer in mind, consult with neighbors and perform some background research on plants that deer seem to avoid in your local area. Remember that even if deer do not prefer to eat certain types of plants, they can cause damage by trampling them en route to other, more desirable vegetation.

If deer are a particular nuisance in your area, you may consider other means of keeping them out of your yard altogether.
Fencing in your entire yard is one way to protect all of your landscaping plants and trees from damage and consumption by deer. Even still, a fence may not be the perfect solution. Bear in mind that deer can jump over high fences, and that an angled, wire fence will provide a more effective barrier than will a vertical, wooden one.

Munching away your hard-earned landscaping plants is not the only way deer may cause damage to your property. Bucks also rub the trunks of trees with their antlers, which removes the protective outer bark and leaves the animal’s scent behind. This behavior serves to remove velvet from the antlers, mark territory, show dominance, attract does and possibly prepare the buck for battle with another buck. Deer seem to prefer smaller trees with smooth bark over larger, rougher ones for rubbing. If you have a tree that has incurred such damage, a sturdy barrier such as a wire fence should help protect your tree from future deer rubs. Though extensive damage can result in the death of a tree, the good news is that tree damage caused by deer rubs can often be repaired by a tree’s natural healing process. A qualified tree service expert can advise you as to the extent of damage present and provide guidance as to the actions that should be taken to protect the tree and prevent it from becoming hazardous.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and tree trimming Austin trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.

Five Simple Ways to Save Trees

Trees do more than serve as beautiful scenery and boost our home values; they also filter the air, produce the oxygen we breathe and contribute to water quality. Trees are an important natural resource that we consume at an alarming rate through our daily use of the many products made from them. Here we examine five simple steps you can take to save trees while at the same time improving your quality of life:

-Stop getting junk mail. Not only does junk mail pile up on the counter, much of it is unread and represents a needless waste of trees. With a small investment of time, you can eliminate or significantly reduce the quantity of unwanted paper advertisements delivered to your mailbox. There are a few ways to go about this, but a good way to start is through the Direct Marketing Association’s Mail Preference Service, which allows you to remove your name from the mailing lists of individual organizations. If you receive unwanted credit or insurance offers, you can request that the Consumer Credit Reporting Companies not share your information at www.optoutprescreen.com or by calling 1–888–567–8688.

Taking these actions should eliminate a majority of the unsolicited advertisements you receive. Junk mail you still receive may call for individual action. To stop receiving unwanted catalogs, have a catalog in hand and call the company to request that your name and address be removed from the company’s mailing list and that it not be sold or traded. With a little time and effort, you can save trees while enjoying a less cluttered home.

-Pay bills online. Many banks, utility companies, cellular phone providers and other companies have begun offering the option of paperless billing. This means that rather than receiving a bill in the mail, you can receive a bill via e-mail and make payments online. Paying bills online is convenient and reduces needless paper waste at the same time. If you already pay bills online but still receive paper bills, check with your service providers about paperless billing.

-Nourish the trees on your property. Yes, the trees in your yard are important too. Trees have a cooling effect on the environment and absorb carbon dioxide while emitting the oxygen we require, and can also help control your home’s energy consumption. Trees on private property are threatened by human carelessness as well as diseases and insects. To protect the trees on your property, be aware that lawnmowers, nearby sidewalks and buildings can harm trees and cause them to become hazardous or die. Proper tree care is imperative to protecting these valuable natural resources. To maintain healthy trees on your property, have your trees inspected periodically by a certified arborist who can detect early signs of tree failure or disease.

-Make a conscious effort based on your consumption habits. You do not have to massively overhaul your life to reduce the amount of paper waste you produce. The best actions to take to reduce paper waste vary from person to person, depending on individual consumption habits. Simply being aware of how you most often produce unnecessary waste can help you determine where to cut back. For example, if you order a coffee to-go from the local coffee shop every day, try bringing your own mug rather than using the paper cups. Use the air dryer to dry your hands rather than paper towels. Take only the number of napkins you will use when at a restaurant. And of course, recycle everything you can.

-Donate to the cause. If you want to get more involved, there is a plethora of organizations with the goal of saving or replenishing harvested trees. The organization with which you choose to get involved is a personal choice. Be sure to do your homework and donate wisely to an organization whose cause you genuinely want to support.

About the Author: Andrew Johnson is the owner of Central Texas Tree Care, a leading tree service provider in Central Texas (Travis County and surrounding areas) offering services such as pruning and removals, cabling and bracing as well as arborist reports, diagnostics, pest management, fertilization and tree trimming Austin trusts. For more information please visit http://www.centraltexastreecare.com.