Updated on September 7, 2026. Confirm ratings on the linked extension pages before you treat any arborvitae as deer-proof.
Yes. American arborvitae is winter deer candy. Rutgers rates American arborvitae (Thuja occidentalis) Frequently Severely Damaged (D) — the same bucket as yew. Cornell’s woody list files it with apples and evergreen azaleas. UGA Circular 985 puts it on the “occasionally or frequently browse” table and says to protect it. The privacy hedge on the lot line is the same species white-tailed deer yard in as northern white-cedar.
| Verdict | Yes. American arborvitae: Rutgers D. Western types are a step less, not a fence. |
|---|---|
| What they eat | Scale-like evergreen foliage; twig tips; the lower 4–8 feet of a hedge |
| Peak | First hard freeze through green-up, when every deciduous shrub is bare |
| What works | Winter net, burlap, or a welded-wire cage on the lower 8 feet; an 8-foot yard fence |
| What does not | “Green Giant is deer-proof”; a 4-foot picket; soap; shearing into bare wood and hoping it fills |
Woods browse is on what deer eat. For the rest of the planting list, use the deer-proof garden guide.
What deer eat on an arborvitae
They eat the foliage you planted it for. A deer has no upper incisors, so it grabs a scaly fan and tears. After a winter raid you get bare brown sticks from the mulch up and a green “lollipop” on top. Oregon State puts the typical feed zone at the bottom 4 to 5 feet. Minnesota reports go to 8 feet. That is a privacy screen with a hole in it.
- American arborvitae / northern white-cedar (Thuja occidentalis). This is ‘Emerald Green’/‘Smaragd’, ‘Techny’/‘Mission’, the globes, and the foundation row. Penn State (November 15, 2023): wild tree 50 to 60 feet; Emerald Green about 3 to 4 feet in diameter. NC State: 40 to 60 feet, zones 3–7, deer browsing a serious problem. Rutgers D. Iowa State (July 2022): frequently damaged woody, same column as yew.
- Western arborvitae and ‘Green Giant’ (Thuja plicata, and the hybrid T. plicata × T. standishii). Rutgers rates western arborvitae C — one letter better, not “rarely.” Penn State: Green Giant is fast, 50 to 60 feet, and “known to be somewhat deer-resistant.” That is the honest ceiling. It is a different hybrid, not Emerald Green renamed. On a travel route in January, “somewhat” still needs a cage.
- Winter, not July. Hostas vanish after frost. The evergreen hedge is what the same herd eats from December on. Evergreen azaleas sit in that winter-green column. If those two are already getting hit, your arborvitae is on the route.
The wild half is not a side note. NC State: arborvitae provides winter cover for white-tailed deer, which both feed on the branches and use them for shelter. Minnesota Extension describes deer moving into winter “yards” that still offer forage and cover when snow covers everything else. A fertilized Emerald Green hedge is that forage at chest height. Pest ecology: deer as pests.
Deer vs rabbit vs bagworm vs winter burn
Do not treat every brown arborvitae as a deer.
- Deer. Ragged, torn fans. Browse from a foot up to chest height or higher. Hoof prints and pellets in the mulch. Minnesota Extension: rough or shredded, not cleanly clipped. A hedge face can go in a few nights.
- Rabbit. A neat 45-degree cut within 18 inches of the ground or snow line. Penn State notes rabbits eat the foliage too. Hardware cloth at the soil line stops rabbits, not a deer that reaches over it. Toolkit: how to keep rabbits from eating plants.
- Bagworms. Penn State: small brown “cones” on the branches are cocoons, not fruit. Hand-pick them. That is not a browse line.
- Winter burn. Foliage turns yellow-brown but stays attached. NC State: the species does not tolerate dry, windy sites. Browse removes the tissue. Burn leaves it hanging.
Where and when it is worst
Worst yards already look like an arborvitae catalog. Mid-Atlantic lots in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and New York are where Rutgers built the D rating. Pennsylvania is native range; Penn State’s line is “if deer often visit your property, arborvitae is probably not the plant for you.” That collar is also hunt country — Pennsylvania deer hunting. Great Lakes suburbs sit next to actual cedar swamps. The same species deer yard in on Michigan public land is the hedge in the subdivision. Peak: first hard freeze through the April flush. Raids track when deer feed. Same-road collisions: what to do if you hit a deer.
What actually works
Physical exclusion on a winter calendar. Cover from late fall through green-up — roughly November to April in the Mid-Atlantic, longer where snow piles. Leave a wrap on in July and you cook the interior.
- Net, burlap, or cage the lower 8 feet. Tie netting or burlap from the ground to above the browse line so a nose cannot lift it. Minnesota Master Gardeners tell Duluth-area gardeners to wrap the lower 8 feet. A welded-wire cylinder taller than the plant plus snow is the same tool on a specimen. Take the wrap off after the spring flush.
- Fence the yard at 8 feet. Minnesota Extension: woven-wire needs to be at least 8 feet tall for a larger area. A 4-foot picket is a step. Deer clear that without thinking. Micro-exclosures about 8 by 16 feet and only 50 inches high can work on a small grouping. Layout: how to keep deer out of garden beds.
- Repellents as a supplement, not a plan. Egg- or capsaicin-based sprays buy time if you start before the herd finds the hedge, reapply after rain, and rotate formulas. See which organic repellents actually hold up. They will not save an unprotected Emerald Green row. Cost: how to keep deer from eating plants.
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What does not work as a strategy
“Green Giant is deer-proof” is not a fence. Penn State said somewhat resistant. Rutgers still has western arborvitae in the C column. UGA’s circular calls soap, human hair, and animal dung unreliable. Same bucket: dryer sheets, a 4-foot picket, and mixing arborvitae through boxwood. Do not shear a stripped hedge into bare wood and wait. Minnesota Extension horticulture (St. Louis County): if the green tissue is gone to the woody stems, that part will not come back the way a yew often will. Fill-in comes from remaining leafy tissue and can take up to three years.
Plant these instead
If the point is a winter-green screen deer will leave alone, stop replacing Emerald Green with Emerald Green. The live list is on deer-resistant hedges: boxwood, eastern red cedar (Juniperus virginiana — not a Thuja), Chinese juniper, Japanese pieris, inkberry, mountain laurel. UGA puts boxwood and junipers on the rarely-browsed shrub table; eastern redcedar is on the rarely-browsed tree table. More options: deer-resistant shrubs. Bloom swaps that already have pages: lavender, peonies, daffodils. Short flower list: what flowers deer do not eat.
Related plants deer also hit in the same yard
Hostas go first in a mixed bed; the evergreen hedge takes winter. Azaleas lose winter leaves the same way. Roses sit in Iowa State’s frequently-damaged woody column with arborvitae. Hydrangeas are leafless in winter; the hedge takes the shift. Apples sit next to American arborvitae on Cornell’s frequently-damaged woody list. If those are already getting hit, fence the bed — do not cage one specimen and leave the row open.
Common questions
Will arborvitae grow back after deer eat them?
Only where green foliage is still attached. Minnesota Ask Extension: bare brown branches without needles most likely will not come back; if any green remains, wait until late June before cutting; fill-in can take up to three years. Do not prune later than mid-summer. Protect the flush the following winter.
Is ‘Green Giant’ deer-resistant?
Somewhat, on a good year, on a different species. It is a western/Japanese hybrid. Rutgers rates Thuja plicata C, not A. Penn State’s “somewhat deer-resistant” is the sourced claim. Emerald Green and Techny are still T. occidentalis — Rutgers D.
Will a 4-foot fence save an arborvitae hedge?
No, not as a yard fence. Eight feet is the extension-service number for a real enclosure. A cage or winter net around one plant works because the deer cannot get its head in, not because it cannot jump. A 4-foot hardware-cloth ring is for rabbits.
Why do deer eat arborvitae when they skip boxwood?
Different rating. Iowa State and Rutgers put boxwood in the rarely-damaged woody column and American arborvitae in frequently damaged. NC State notes deer use wild northern white-cedar as winter cover and food. A suburban hedge of the same species is a known meal. Boxwood is on the deer-resistant hedges list for that reason.
Sources
- Rutgers Cooperative Extension — Landscape Plants Rated by Deer Resistance (American arborvitae: D; western arborvitae: C)
- Cornell Cooperative Extension — Deer-Resistant Plants (American arborvitae: frequently severely damaged woody)
- Iowa State Extension — Susceptibility of Plants to Deer Damage (compiled from Rutgers, Cornell, Michigan State; last reviewed July 2022)
- UGA Extension Circular 985 — Deer-Tolerant Ornamental Plants (American arborvitae: occasionally or frequently browsed)
- Penn State Extension — The Mighty Arborvitae (updated November 15, 2023)
- NC State Extension Gardener — Thuja occidentalis
- University of Minnesota Extension — White-tailed deer damage
- Oregon State University — Arborvitae as a hedge
Part of the Deer-Proof Garden Guide. Wild diet lives on what deer eat.
