2021

LVM Carries out Protection of Young Trees against Damage Caused by Cervids

In order to reduce the damage caused by cervids to young trees during the winter, JSC “Latvia's State Forests” (LVM) takes measures to protect young stands. Autumn is the best time for these works, because the trees planted in the forest have stopped their active growth. This year, the protection of young stands is planned in an area of 25 000 hectares.

Protecting young stands from damage caused by animals is particularly important during the winter, when animals no longer have extensive sources of nutrients and elk, red deer and roe deer bite the tops of young trees or tear off the bark of their trunks, thus adversely affecting the future growth of the tree.

“We protect young plants by using both plant protection products or repellents registered in Latvia and mechanical protective equipment. Repellents have an unpleasant aroma or taste; therefore, animals do not want to eat trees covered with such a protective agent. In turn, mechanical protective equipment prevents animals from accessing the part of the tree of interest or the forest stand itself. Depending on the height of the young trees and the number of trees in the plot, the approach to the protection method is selected,” says Edijs Leišavnieks, LVM Forest Protection and Firefighting Manager.

For trees up to 1.5 m in height, the primary need is to protect the central shoot bud so that the tree can continue to grow successfully next year. As soon as the top of a new tree is bitten, it can wither and disappear. A number of different types of repellents are usually used for trees of this height, such as Cervacol Extra, Wam Extra, Plantskydd or Trico.

On the other hand, for trees taller than 1.5 m, it is important to protect their trunk – as there are no more needles on it, deer are increasingly interested in the bark and side shoots, rather than the central bud. The most suitable repellents for this type of protection are those that are inflated on the trunk (Plantskydd or Trico) or smeared on the trunk (Wobra). Mechanical protection means, such as trunk protection spirals, are also used to protect these trees.

The most suitable time for applying plant protection products is when the outdoor temperature is well above 0o Celsius and the trees to be protected are dry – the products used in such conditions are able to dry after application and perform their function throughout the winter. It must be borne in mind that it must not rain for at least two hours after application to allow the applied protective agent to dry completely. If the applied product does not dry out and drains, it does not provide quality protection.

When using plant protection products, the instructions on the label of the product in question must be observed, and measures for the protection of young plants using plant protection products must be taken regularly for several consecutive years, thus protecting young trees from possible deer damage.