Deer Browse: Cedar Elm
Deer Food: Cedar Elm (Ulmus crassifolia)
Class: browse; moderately preferred by deer
Description: Cedar elm is a medium to large-sized tree with drooping branches that forms a narrow to rounded crown. Cedar elm grows on moist soils in bottomland, upland, and even limestone sites. Cedar elm loves moist areas but tolerates dry, upland sites well. It’s one of the toughest trees out there. The stems may have corky wings, but do not confuse cedar elm with winged elm.
Unlike winged elm, cedar elm leaves are thicker. In fact, this tree has the smallest leaves of the elms and is one of the few with fruit, called samaras. The fruits mature each year in the fall. In addition, the top part of cedar elm leaves have a sand paper-type roughness. In the fall, leaves will turn orangish and yellow-gold in color.
White-tailed deer are fond of all elm species, especially cedar elm. Where moderate to high deer populations exists, this browse plant will typically show heavy use. Consider this tree a staple of the whitetail’s diet in areas where cedar elm is found. Deer eat cedar elm readily. Managers can measure browse use each year to track deer numbers in an area.
Cedar Elm Photos
