Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white-tailed deer management approaches.

ABSTRACT: After decades of high deer populations, North American forests have lost much of their previous biodiversity. Any landscape-level recovery requires substantial reductions in deer herds, but modern societies and wildlife management agencies appear unable to devise appropriate solutions to this chronic ecological and human health crisis. We evaluated the effectiveness of fertility control and hunting in reducing deer impacts at Cornell University. We estimated spring deer populations and planted Quercus rubra seedlings to assess deer browse pressure, rodent attack, and other factors compromising seedling performance. Oak seedlings protected in cages grew well, but deer annually browsed ≥60% of unprotected seedlings. Despite female sterilization rates of >90%, the deer population remai

SUBMITTER: Blossey B 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6912884 | biostudies-literature | 2019 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature