Fencing

As a component of its hybrid approach to deer management, the Deer Management Program, as well as other County entities, employ small-scale fencing to protect priority plant communities and individual plants.  

If properly maintained, fencing can effectively protect whatever it encloses, whether a single tree or an entire park. Fencing for entire parks can be cost-prohibitive at scale to install and maintain, so fencing is often reserved for protecting individual trees or small patches of forest.    

Arlington County and volunteers currently use fencing to protect individual young trees and plant communities in Arlington’s forest parks and along the Right of Way. It will continue to apply this practice where appropriate, particularly in natural areas where deer populations and browse pressure are highest.   

While the County will not apply a uniform standard for fencing materials or practices, it is generally accepted that fences enclosing large areas should be 8 feet or greater in height, while fencing protecting individual plants should be no less that 5’ in height.