The American Hornbeam is a great plant for wildlife improvement. Sportsmen should take careful note of this plant. Deer will browse this tree but it is not preferred. This is a key to its success as a wildlife improvement plant. If you plant a small apple tree and it grows backwards, what have you accomplished? The Hornbean is going to make it. That's a great consideration when establishing or imporoving a wildlife habitat. American Hornbeam is an important native food of gray squirrels. Hornbaeams are important sources for other small game animals such as grouse and turkeys. Its branching attracts many song birds for it makes great cover. Rabbits and beavers also like it stems.

Native Range of the American Hornbeam:

American hornbeam is native to much of the eastern United States. This plant can stand a wide variety of soil conditions. Wet soils can be used but not bog like in wetness. The roots do need to dry out so they don't rot. The water table where this plant is located may have a high fluctuating water table. A good loam on the surface helps this plant greatly. This plant can take some flooding. American Hornbeam is typically an understory species and rarely occurs in the overstory or dominates a stand. Thus, plant this with other companion plants and increase the diversity of your habitat. This will greatly improve the quality of your habitat. I suggest these companion plants with the Hornbeam: Black Cherry, Sugar Maple, White Oak, Black Oak, Northern , Red Oak, River Birch, Sycamore, Pin Oak, and Sweetgum.

If you are establishing a large stand you will want to buy seedlings and smaller plants. These available usually in the spring. We do recommend trees 10-15' in height which we are balled and burlapped throughout the season.

Hornbeam is a desirable deer food and growth will not be completely suppressed in areas of excessive deer populations(over 10 deer per square mile of forest cover). The deer work this plant. If you plant seedlings in high deer population area you should use spray repellants and use deer guards. For a one acre deer plot of just Hornbeams, I would suggest in a high deer population area you will need to plant 2000-3000 tree seedlings per acre to get enough saplings to withstand deer browsing pressure. After being established, this plot will become what I call Legal Deer Bait. It will attract and support deer. It will become a thicket that deer will return to all season long.

We would be glad to assist you with design, use of our loaner transplanters, and seedlings for your plot. We have more information on deer and flora at our web site http://www.seedlingsrus.com