Resources
Below is a collection of resources containing information about caring for deer and forests.
- Deer Exclusion Effects on Understory Development Following Partial Cutting in a Pennsylvania Oak Stand
- Forty fenced and unfenced paired plots were established in a central Pennsylvania mixed oak stand following an improvement shelterwood cut to assess the influence of deer exclusion on the establishment and development of understory vegetation during the first four years following cutting. Exclusion of deer increased the abundance and height growth of woody regeneration which consisted primarily of yellow-poplar, red maple, black birch and black gum. Few oak seedlings became established during the study in either the fenced or unfenced plots. Deer exclusion affected herbaceous composition and enhanced the abundance of woody vines and shrubs. Possible implications of deer exclusion following partial cutting on stand development and plant diversity following further overstory removal are discussed. This article was written by Larry H. McCormick, John W. Groninger, Kathy A. Penrod, and Todd E. Ristau for the 9th Central Hardwood Forest Conference held March 8-10, 1993.
- Current and Predicted Long-term Effects of Deer Browsing in Hemlock Forests in Michigan, USA
- Remnants of virgin hemlock Tsuga canadensis (L.) Carr. forest in the Porcupine Mountains, Michigan, USA, have experienced inadequate hemlock regeneration lasting several decades. White-tailed deer Odocoileus virginianus Zimmermann browsing seems to be the major cause of the observed decline of hemlock regeneration, rather than poor seedbed conditions or changing climate. In some areas, significant changes in the size-structure of the forest have already occurred, with a shift of dominance from hemlock to sugar maple Acer saccharum Marsh taking place. A simulation of forest development is used to predict the changes in forest structure that will occur if no action is taken to control browsing. From this simulation it is estimated that in less than 150 years, hemlock will become only a minor component of the forest over large areas where it is currently the major dominant. This article was written by Lee E. Frelich and Craig G. Lorimer with the Department of Forestry, University of Wisconsin-Madison, published in Biological Conservation.
- Acorn Weevils, Rodents, and Deer All Contribute to Oak-Regeneration Difficulties in Pennsylvania
- In parts of Pennsylvania, oak regeneration after harvest cutting or natural disturbances has been very poor. Studies on the Tuscarora State Forest suggest that the primary cause of natural regeneration failure may be a lack of viable acorns; on some sites acorn insects and rodents destroy nearly all acorns, even in good seed years. Artificial regeneration is not without difficulties either: rodents were able toreach direct-seeded acorns even through plastic protectors; and planted seedlings have been severely damaged by deer browsing. This article was written by David A. Marquis, Philip L. Eckert, and Benjamin A. Roach for the USDA Forest Service (Research Paper NE-356).
- Deer Density Effects On A Forest Ecosystem: A Study Its History-Design-Implementation
- Today's second growth Cherry-Maple forests on the Allegheny Plateau have been heavily influenced by decades of overbrowsing by white-tailed deer. When these forests were established deer were nearly extinct in Pennsylvania. Laws to protect deer and vat amounts of forage created by the extensive cutting that took place from 1890 to 1930 combined to set the stage for a major eruption of the deer herd that lasted through the early '40s. A combination of severe winters and lack of forage caused by stands growing out of reach of the deer caused mass starvation and a sharp decline in populations from 1940 through the early 1950's. As the forests began to reach commercial size in the '50s cutting increased and modern deer herd management techniques were instituted. Deer herds increased although not as rapidly as earlier and began to level of or decline slightly in the 1980's to the present day. This paper will describe the history of forests and deer on the Plateau form pre-settlement time to the present. This was written by Jim Redding.
- Ecological And Sociological Aspects of White-tailed Deer Herbivory In South Central Wisconsin
- White-tailed deer numbers have increased dramatically in Wisconsin in the 20th century. This has been due to several factors; (1) protection afforded deer early in this century, (2) the elimination or near elimination of natural predators and (3) by forestry practices which have created a mosaic of young and mature forests with a large amount of edge habitat. This was written by Rebecca Ann Christoffel for The University of Wisconsin - Madison.
- Whitetails Are Changing Our Woodlands
- This headline from a January 1993 article inthe Washington Post gets to the heart of scientists' concern that browsing by an overabundance of whitetail deer is inhibiting forest growth and reducing the diversity of plant and animal species. The article cites an excessive deer population in Virginia C...probably five times as large as it was when Europe ansettlers arrived, but in fact the problem extends throughout the eastern temperate hardwood forests from southern NewEngland through the mid-Atlantic states and westward to the CrestLakes region. This was written by Stephen B. Jones, David deCalesta and Shelby E. Chunko for The American Forests.