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Deer-Resistant Trees

These 52 trees are the ones deer tend to leave alone — rated A (rarely damaged) or B (seldom damaged) in Rutgers University’s deer-resistance research. Sorted most-resistant first.

Search all 527 plants by zone →10 ways to keep deer out →

Ratings come from Rutgers University’s landscape deer-resistance research. A = rarely damaged, B = seldom severely damaged. We list only A and B here — the plants deer tend to leave alone. No plant is 100% deer-proof when browse pressure is high.

PlantBotanical nameDeer ratingZones
American HollyIlex opacaA · Rarely damaged5–9
Bottlebrush BuckeyeAesculus parvifloraA · Rarely damaged4–8
Dwarf Alberta SprucePicea glauca 'Conica'A · Rarely damaged2–8
Japanese Black PinePinus thunbergianaA · Rarely damaged5–8
Katsura TreeCercidiphyllum japonicumA · Rarely damaged4–8
MimosaAlbizia julibrissinA · Rarely damaged6–9
Paper BirchBetula papyriferaA · Rarely damaged2–7
PawpawAsimina trilobaA · Rarely damaged5–9
Pitch PinePinus rigidaA · Rarely damaged4–7
Red PinePinus resinosaA · Rarely damaged2–5
River BirchBetula nigraA · Rarely damaged4–9
Allegheny ServiceberryAmelanchier laevisB · Seldom damaged4–8
Austrian PinePinus nigraB · Seldom damaged4–7
Chinese Fringe TreeChionanthus retususB · Seldom damaged5–8
Chinese Paper BirchBetula albo-sinensisB · Seldom damaged5–7
Colorado Blue SprucePicea pungensB · Seldom damaged2–7
Common Flowering QuinceChaenomeles speciosaB · Seldom damaged4–8
Common SassafrasSassafras albidurnB · Seldom damaged4–9
Corkscrew WillowSalix matsudana tortuosaB · Seldom damaged4–8
Dawn RedwoodMetasequoia glyptostroboidesB · Seldom damaged4–8
Douglas FirPseudotsuga menziesiiB · Seldom damaged4–6
Downy ServiceberryAmelanchier arboreaB · Seldom damaged4–9
Dragon Lady, San Jose HollyIlex x aquipernyiB · Seldom damaged6–9
Eastern Red CedarJuniperus virginianaB · Seldom damaged2–9
Eastern White PinePinus strobusB · Seldom damaged3–8
English HawthornCrataegus laevigataB · Seldom damaged4–7
European AshFraxinus excelsiorB · Seldom damaged4–7
European BeechFagus sylvaticaB · Seldom damaged4–7
European White BirchBetula pendulaB · Seldom damaged2–7
Goldenrain TreeKoelreuteria paniculataB · Seldom damaged5–9
Green AshFraximus pennsylvanicaB · Seldom damaged3–9
Himalayan BirchBetula jacquemontiiB · Seldom damaged4–7
Honey LocustGleditsia triacanthosB · Seldom damaged3–9
Japanese CedarCryptomeria japonicaB · Seldom damaged5–9
Japanese FalsecypressChamaecyparis pisiferaB · Seldom damaged4–8
Japanese Flowering CherryPrunus serrulataB · Seldom damaged5–8
Japanese MapleAcer palmatumB · Seldom damaged5–8
Japanese Red PinePinus densifloraB · Seldom damaged4–7
Kousa DogwoodCornus kousaB · Seldom damaged5–8
Norway SprucePicea abiesB · Seldom damaged2–7
Paperbark MapleAcer griseurnB · Seldom damaged4–8
Red MapleAcer rubrumB · Seldom damaged3–9
Ruby HorsechestnutAesculus x carneaB · Seldom damaged4–8
Scotch PinePinus sylvestrisB · Seldom damaged3–7
Serbian SprucePicea omorikaB · Seldom damaged4–7
ShadbushAmelanchier canadensisB · Seldom damaged3–7
SourwoodOxydendrum arboreumB · Seldom damaged5–9
Striped MapleAcer pensylvanicumB · Seldom damaged3–7
Sugar MapleAcer saccharumB · Seldom damaged3–8
Tulip TreeLiriodendron tulipiferaB · Seldom damaged4–9
White SprucePicea glaucaB · Seldom damaged2–6
Yellow BirchBetula luteaB · Seldom damaged3–7
Protect what you plant

Even deer-resistant plants get browsed when deer are hungry. The proven backups:

Deer repellent sprayDeer nettingMotion sprinkler

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