Windows of opportunity: white-tailed deer and the dynamics of northern hardwood forests of the northeastern US

Sage, Richard W.; Porter, William F.; Underwood, H. Brian

doi:10.1078/1617-1381-00021

Cited by 54 publications

(35 citation statements)

References 13 publications

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“…Consistent with previous reports from northern hardwood forests, regeneration limitations in our study were linked to multiple factors including competition from dense beech understories and deer browse [71,72]. Adding the ecological variables into the linear mixed model showed that increasing herbivory and leaf litter were negatively associated with sapling diversity and positively associated with beech sapling densities.…”

Section: Sources Of Variability In Regeneration Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 77%

Regeneration Responses to Management for Old-Growth Characteristics in Northern Hardwood-Conifer Forests

Gottesman¹

2017

Forests

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Successful tree regeneration is essential for sustainable forest management, yet it can be limited by the interaction of harvesting effects and multiple ecological drivers. In northern hardwood forests, for example, there is uncertainty whether low-intensity selection harvesting techniques will result in adequate and desirable regeneration. Our research is part of a long-term study that tests the hypothesis that a silvicultural approach called "structural complexity enhancement" (SCE) can accelerate the development of late-successional forest structure and functions. Our objective is to understand the regeneration dynamics following three uneven-aged forestry treatments with high levels of retention: single-tree selection, group selection, and SCE. Regeneration density and diversity can be limited by differing treatment effects on or interactions among light availability, competitive environment, substrate, and herbivory. To explore these relationships, manipulations and controls were replicated across 2 ha treatment units at two Vermont sites. Forest inventory data were collected pre-harvest and periodically over 13 years post-harvest. We used mixed effects models with repeated measures to evaluate the effect of treatment on seedling and sapling density and diversity (Shannon-Weiner H'). The treatments were all successful in recruiting a sapling class with significantly greater sapling densities compared to the controls. However, undesirable and prolific beech (Fagus americana) sprouting dominates some patches in the understory of all the treatments, creating a high degree of spatial variability in the competitive environment for regeneration. Multivariate analyses suggest that while treatment had a dominant effect, other factors were influential in driving regeneration responses. These results indicate variants of uneven-aged systems that retain or enhance elements of stand structural complexity-including old-growth characteristics-can generally foster abundant regeneration of important late successional tree species depending on site conditions, but they may require beech control where beech sprouting inhibits desired regeneration.

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Section: Sources Of Variability In Regeneration Dynamicssupporting

confidence: 77%

Regeneration Responses to Management for Old-Growth Characteristics in Northern Hardwood-Conifer Forests

Gottesman¹

2017

Forests

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“…Similarly, following eighteen years of deer exclusion in a mixed-oak forest in Pennsylvania, Abrams and Johnson (2012) observed an increase in tree seedling number, but no stimulation of oak regeneration and sapling recruitment. Overall, the long-term influence of persistent deer browsing on forest stand dynamics is not well understood, as previous studies typically have been spatially and temporally limited with deer exclosures smaller than 1 ha or experiments often lasting less than ten years (Bowersox et al 1995, Long et al 2007, Rossell et al 2005, Sage et al 2003, Tilghman 1989.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

Effects of Twenty Years of Deer Exclusion on Woody Vegetation at Three Life-History Stages in a Mid-Atlantic Temperate Deciduous Forest

McGarvey

Bourg

Thompson

et al. 2013

Northeastern Naturalist

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-Chronic browsing by Odocoileus virginianus (White-tailed Deer) has potential to alter the life history of trees within Mid-Atlantic forests, including seedling size and abundance in the short term to overstory composition in the long term. Most studies quantify the effects of deer browse using small plots (<1 ha) and short time frames (<10 years), which may misrepresent larger-scale and longer-term impacts. We maintained a 4-ha deer exclusion plot for 20 years in a mesic northern Virginia temperate deciduous forest to examine the impacts of browsing on forest trees at multiple life-history stages. We compared the abundance and species composition, as well as seedling height, of woody stems across the seedling, small-sapling, and large-sapling size classes inside the deer exclosure and within an adjacent reference area. There were no significant differences in seedling abundance or community composition, but seedling height was on average 2.25 times greater in the exclosure than the reference plot. Small-sapling (1-5 cm DBH) stem count was 4.1 times greater inside the exclosure, with all species more abundant in the exclosure except Asimina triloba (Pawpaw) and Carya tomentosa (Mockernut Hickory). Differences were smaller in the large-sapling size class (5-10 cm DBH), with relative total large-sapling stem count only 1.25 times greater in the exclosure. Browsing pressure appeared to influence the composition and size structure of smaller stems in the past 20 years, but has had little effect on larger stems. While the lack of replication limited the scope of inference of our study, our findings suggest that natural delays in mature tree recruitment in a closed-canopy forest may mask the full impact of deer herbivory for decades.

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“…È altresì dimostrato che la selettività dei danni di origine alimentare può modificare i rapporti di concorrenza e quindi limitare la presenza di alcune specie, mettendo a repentaglio, nel lungo periodo, la possibilità di sopravvivenza di quelle più appetite: possono risultarne cambiamenti nella composizione specifica e nella struttura degli ecosistemi forestali (Motta 1996, Gill & Beardall 2001, Ammer 1996, Sage et al 2003, Berretti & Motta 2005.Per quanto riguarda in particolare la provincia di Prato, nella zona montana della parte settentrionale sono presenti consistenti popolazioni di ungulati selvatici, da anni sottoposti ad azioni di contenimento mediante caccia selettiva (capriolo e cervo) o di eradicazione (daino).Particolarmente meritevole di attenzione è l'effetto che soprattutto il cervo (in ragione della vastità dell'areale, della numerosità della popolazione e delle esigenze alimentari) esercita sulle colture agrarie e forestali. Del danno sulle colture agricole si è oramai ben consapevoli; restano invece da chiarire molti aspetti di quello a carico dei boschi, con particolare riguardo agli effetti, nel breve e lungo periodo, sui processi di rinnovazione.…”

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Impact of wild ungulates on coppices from the Bisenzio Valley (province of Prato, Italy)

Bianchi¹,

Bartoli²,

Paci³

et al. 2014

Forest@

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PremessaL'eccessivo carico di fauna ungulata costituisce un fattore di disturbo in grado di apportare gravi limitazioni alle dinamiche evolutive dei soprassuoli forestali, al punto da vanificare gli effetti degli interventi selvicolturali (Oliver & Larson 1996, Reimoser & Gossow 1996. È altresì dimostrato che la selettività dei danni di origine alimentare può modificare i rapporti di concorrenza e quindi limitare la presenza di alcune specie, mettendo a repentaglio, nel lungo periodo, la possibilità di sopravvivenza di quelle più appetite: possono risultarne cambiamenti nella composizione specifica e nella struttura degli ecosistemi forestali (Motta 1996, Gill & Beardall 2001, Ammer 1996, Sage et al. 2003, Berretti & Motta 2005.Per quanto riguarda in particolare la provincia di Prato, nella zona montana della parte settentrionale sono presenti consistenti popolazioni di ungulati selvatici, da anni sottoposti ad azioni di contenimento mediante caccia selettiva (capriolo e cervo) o di eradicazione (daino).Particolarmente meritevole di attenzione è l'effetto che soprattutto il cervo (in ragione della vastità dell'areale, della numerosità della popolazione e delle esigenze alimentari) esercita sulle colture agrarie e forestali. Del danno sulle colture agricole si è oramai ben consapevoli; restano invece da chiarire molti aspetti di quello a carico dei boschi, con particolare riguardo agli effetti, nel breve e lungo periodo, sui processi di rinnovazione. it). Abstract: Impact of wild ungulates on coppices from the Bisenzio Valley (province of Prato, Italy) . Similar to otherApennine areas, a considerable increase of wild ungulate density has been observed in the past decades in the Bisenzio valley (province of Prato), leading to a strong impact on coppice regeneration. In some felling areas, the prolonged browsing on young suckers turned the stumps into low and dense bushes, thus threatening the survival of the forest stand and triggering a loss of environmental stability. The aim of this work was to study the impact of deer on sprout regeneration after cutting in mixed coppices felled in the period 2007-2010 and characterized by the dominance of chestnut, hornbeam, Turkey oak, and beech. Some 36 plots were established in four municipal districts of the Prato province (Cantagallo, Vernio, Montemurlo, Vaiano). Damage and browsing intensity on each stump were evaluated using an index that allowed the comparison among different areas and fores stand types. Regardless of the species, over 90% of the sprouts revealed a very strong damage, whereas only 6% did not exhibit any damage. A significant difference in the sprout height was detected between browsed and non-browsed areas. Despite a high incidence of damage in all the studied areas, chestnut showed a greater resilience against browsing. In summary, overgrazing by wild game may determine severe contraints to the evolutionary dynamics of forest stands, frustrating the effects of silvicultural practices. The possible benefits of the implementation of a large-scale inte...

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Windows of opportunity: white-tailed deer and the dynamics of northern hardwood forests of the northeastern US

Cited by 54 publications

References 13 publications

Regeneration Responses to Management for Old-Growth Characteristics in Northern Hardwood-Conifer Forests

Regeneration Responses to Management for Old-Growth Characteristics in Northern Hardwood-Conifer Forests

Effects of Twenty Years of Deer Exclusion on Woody Vegetation at Three Life-History Stages in a Mid-Atlantic Temperate Deciduous Forest

Impact of wild ungulates on coppices from the Bisenzio Valley (province of Prato, Italy)

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