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 th...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Wiley
2019-12-01
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| Series: | Ecology and Evolution |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5729 |
| _version_ | 1818668320952418304 |
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| author | Bernd Blossey Paul Curtis Jason Boulanger Andrea Dávalos |
| author_facet | Bernd Blossey Paul Curtis Jason Boulanger Andrea Dávalos |
| author_sort | Bernd Blossey |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | 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 remained stable. Neither sterilization nor recreational hunting reduced deer browse rates and neither appears able to achieve reductions in deer populations or their impacts. We eliminated deer sterilization and recreational hunting in a core management area in favor of allowing volunteer archers to shoot deer over bait, including at night. This resulted in a substantial reduction in the deer population and a linear decline in browse rates as a function of spring deer abundance. Public trust stewardship of North American landscapes will require a fundamental overhaul in deer management to provide for a brighter future, and oak seedlings may be a promising metric to assess success. These changes will require intense public debate and may require new approaches such as regulated commercial hunting, natural dispersal, or intentional release of important deer predators (e.g., wolves and mountain lions). Such drastic changes in deer management will be highly controversial, and at present, likely difficult to implement in North America. However, the future of our forest ecosystems and their associated biodiversity will depend on evidence to guide change in landscape management and stewardship. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-17T06:34:27Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-10f18e255d7e4548adf84ee0f493ae61 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-7758 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-17T06:34:27Z |
| publishDate | 2019-12-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Ecology and Evolution |
| spelling | doaj.art-10f18e255d7e4548adf84ee0f493ae612022-12-21T22:00:02ZengWileyEcology and Evolution2045-77582019-12-01923130851310310.1002/ece3.5729Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approachesBernd Blossey0Paul Curtis1Jason Boulanger2Andrea Dávalos3Department of Natural Resources Cornell University Ithaca NY USADepartment of Natural Resources Cornell University Ithaca NY USAUniversity of North Dakota Grand Forks ND USABiological Sciences SUNY Cortland Cortland NY USAAbstract 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 remained stable. Neither sterilization nor recreational hunting reduced deer browse rates and neither appears able to achieve reductions in deer populations or their impacts. We eliminated deer sterilization and recreational hunting in a core management area in favor of allowing volunteer archers to shoot deer over bait, including at night. This resulted in a substantial reduction in the deer population and a linear decline in browse rates as a function of spring deer abundance. Public trust stewardship of North American landscapes will require a fundamental overhaul in deer management to provide for a brighter future, and oak seedlings may be a promising metric to assess success. These changes will require intense public debate and may require new approaches such as regulated commercial hunting, natural dispersal, or intentional release of important deer predators (e.g., wolves and mountain lions). Such drastic changes in deer management will be highly controversial, and at present, likely difficult to implement in North America. However, the future of our forest ecosystems and their associated biodiversity will depend on evidence to guide change in landscape management and stewardship.https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5729deer managementforest regenerationoak browse rateOdocoileus virginianusQuercus rubrarecreational hunting |
| spellingShingle | Bernd Blossey Paul Curtis Jason Boulanger Andrea Dávalos Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches Ecology and Evolution deer management forest regeneration oak browse rate Odocoileus virginianus Quercus rubra recreational hunting |
| title | Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches |
| title_full | Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches |
| title_fullStr | Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches |
| title_full_unstemmed | Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches |
| title_short | Red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure: Gauging the outcome of different white‐tailed deer management approaches |
| title_sort | red oak seedlings as indicators of deer browse pressure gauging the outcome of different white tailed deer management approaches |
| topic | deer management forest regeneration oak browse rate Odocoileus virginianus Quercus rubra recreational hunting |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.5729 |
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