Reduced Seedling Height of Hard Mast Species in Areas with Low Deer Densities in an Oak-Dominated Forest

摘要

Reduced regeneration of oak and hickory species is of significant concern to scientists and land managers in the Central Hardwood Forest Region. Much of the decline has been attributed to a shift in land management practices (e.g. fire suppression, reduced harvest intensity) that have favored mesophytic species at the expense of hardwood mast species (Nowacki and Abrams 2008, Fralish and McArdle 2009, Holzmueller et al. 2011). Further complicating the issue is the increased abundance of white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) in the United States over the past 100 years (VerCauteren and Hygnstrom 2011). When present in large numbers, deer have been documented to cause a shift in plant species composition because of their browsing preferences (Russell et al. 2001, Rooney et al. 2002, Adams and Hamilton 2011). In the eastern U.S., states with dense deer populations (>12 deer/km2; e.g., Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and West Virginia) have been reported to have a negative impact on forest regeneration by reducing seedling density and height of desirable hard-mast species (Tilghman 1989, Rooney and Waller 2003, Miller et al. 2009). These impacts reduce the efforts of land managers in the restoration of oak and hickory species.