Based on the research of Raymond Winchcombe and colleagues
Chances are good that either you or someone you know has had both positive and negative experiences with deer. Vehicle collisions, damage to landscape plantings, and intrusions into fruit and vegetable gardens are common negative occurrences.
The impacts of large herds on trees
Often overlooked, however, are the impacts that deer are having on our forests. Left unchecked, large deer herds can consume so many tree seedlings that they prevent the forest from regenerating when mature trees are harvested or die off.
When plants are attractive to deer palates, they eat them to the point of elimination. In the process, they change the species composition of heavily grazed forests. Valuable timber- and acorn-producing trees, such as oaks, are removed from the landscape—resulting in economic harm and the loss of wildlife that rely on acorns for their winter larders.
…and on the forest understory
Deer browsing not only jeopardizes the future forest—it eliminates the wildflowers and young trees and shrubs that are characteristic of a healthy forest understory. When deer populations are kept in check, understory plants blanket the forest floor, keeping soil cool and moist and providing critical cover and feeding habitat for other forest animals.
Amphibians and reptiles require the climate provided by healthy understory, while ground nesting birds depend on understory growth for nesting, foraging, and refuge from predators. A number of important insects also require intact understory vegetation to feed and reproduce.
The goal: a healthy, diverse forest
Deer are long-lived animals and people are hunting them less. Removing female deer is the only effective landscape-scale method of managing deer numbers. Cary Institute has been doing this for more than 35 years. As a result, our forests have a high level of animal and plant diversity.