Northern White Cedar - An important winter food source for White-tailed Deer

On two recent occasions I have visited locations with Northern White Cedar (Thuja occidentalis) trees.  This tree is typical found in wet, mucky soils in swamps, floodplains, and along the edges of lakes. The picture above (and the following two pictures) show Northern White Cedars growing in the Chippewa River floodplain at the Chippewa Watershed Conservancy's Sylvan Solace Preserve.  The Cedars at Sylvan Solace are restricted to this narrow band of muck soil along the edge of the river.

The next two photographs were taken at Mission Creek Woodland Park in Mt. Pleasant.  Mission Creek Park is a mixture of upland and wetland habitats.  Along Mission Creek itself is a section of swamp filled with Norther White Cedars.  Because these trees grow in habitats with a high water table, they often have very shallow root systems and are prone to toppling over in high winds or even when snow or ice builds up in their branches.  On a walk through the park last week I noticed several trees that had recently fallen over.

Northern White Cedar is a preferred winter food source for White-tailed Deer.  Often deer will eat every needle from a tree that is within their reach to a height of 6-8 feet off the ground.  In areas with a large deer population, cedars can have a difficult time reaching adulthood, they are often consumed before they have the chance to grow out of the reach of deer. 

When a mature tree such as this one falls deer are quick to discover this easy source of food.  Many of the needles on this tree have already been stripped by hungry deer.  I expect that before winter is over, the deer will eat every needle that they can physically reach.