Is White Fir deer resistant?
Abies concolor
Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
Rating source: Rutgers NJAES E271
About White Fir
Long soft blue-grey needles and the most heat and drought tolerant of the true firs, which makes it the one worth trying where balsam and Fraser fir fail. Needs sharp drainage and dislikes heavy clay and city pollution.
Soil and care
- Soil pH
- 5.5 to 7
- Drainage
- Well drained
- Water
- Low
- Spacing
- 118 to 177 in apart
- Growth rate
- Slow
- Maintenance
- Low
Tolerances and uses
- Evergreen
Deer-resistant alternatives to White Fir
Same plant type, hardy in the same zones, but rated better on the Rutgers scale. If White Fir keeps getting eaten, these go in the same spot.
Similar to White Fir
Other trees with the same deer rating.
- Alternate-Leaved DogwoodCornus alternifoliaZones 3–7Occasionally damaged
- American PersimmonDiospyros virginianaZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
- AppleMalus sp.Zones 4–9, genus rangeOccasionally damaged
- Atlantic White CedarChamaecyparis thyoidesZones 3–9Occasionally damaged
- Atlas CedarCedrus atlanticaZones 6–9Occasionally damaged
- Bald CypressTaxodium distichumZones 4–9Occasionally damaged
Protecting White Fir
Whether this survives comes down to local pressure, so it is worth knowing the options before it gets browsed rather than after.
- Protecting a young treeBrowsing costs a season. A buck rubbing a two-inch stem in October girdles it and kills it outright.
- How tall a deer fence needs to beEight feet, and six is the most common expensive mistake in deer fencing.
- Repellent that actually worksThe egg-based recipe that reproduces the active ingredient in the commercial sprays that win university trials.
- Check it is actually deerDeer tear and leave a ragged stub. A clean 45-degree cut is rabbits, and slug holes get blamed on deer constantly.
Where White Fir grows
Hardy across most of these 48 states on zone range alone. Mountain and coastal areas sit outside the ranges used here, so check your own zone before ordering.
- Pennsylvania
- New Jersey
- New York
- Connecticut
- Massachusettsnative
- Virginia
- Maryland
- Michigan
- Wisconsin
- Ohio
- Indiana
- Illinois
- Minnesota
- Missouri
- North Carolina
- Tennessee
- Georgia
- Texas
- Coloradonative
- California
- Oregonnative
- Washington
- New Hampshire
- Vermont
- Mainenative
- Rhode Island
- Delaware
- West Virginia
- Kentucky
- South Carolina
- Alabama
- Mississippi
- Arkansas
- Oklahoma
- Kansas
- Nebraska
- Iowa
- North Dakota
- South Dakota
- Montana
- Wyomingnative
- Idahonative
- Utahnative
- Nevadanative
- Arizonanative
- New Mexiconative
- Alaska
- District of Columbia
Highlighted states are within its native range according to the USDA PLANTS database, where it is native to 10 US states in total.
Browse from here
Every list White Fir belongs to.
Hardy in these zones
Common questions about White Fir
- Is White Fir deer resistant?
- White Fir (Abies concolor) is rated Occasionally Severely Damaged on the Rutgers NJAES four-tier scale. Browsed where deer pressure is high. Protect it.
- What hardiness zones does White Fir grow in?
- White Fir is hardy in USDA zones 3 to 7. Outside that range it will either not survive winter or will struggle with summer heat.
- Does White Fir grow in shade?
- No. White Fir wants full sun and will grow thin and flop in shade.
- How big does White Fir get?
- Mature height is roughly 360–840 in. Growth rate is slow.