Deer in Allegheny Plateau Forests: Learning the Lessons of Scale

Scientists began reporting that deer were reducing the abundance and diversity of plant species in Allegheny Plateau forests in the 1930s and 1940s. By the 1960s, nearly 50% of the stand-level regeneration harvests attempted by forest managers resulted in failures-that is, forests were replaced by fields of herbaceous plants. Studies confirmed the role of deer in regeneration failures and assessed the responses of managed forests to different levels of deer density. These studies suggested that the impact of deer on forest ecosystems is a joint function of deer density and the amount of forage available on a landscape. Issues of scale have posed challenges in this research. Deer impact on forest ecosystems is controlled largely at the small landscape scale. As foresters, we have viewed and studied these impacts at the stand scale. This mismatch has led to occasional suprises, and we are now working on a study to determine the most effective scale for measuring and managing deer impact. This article was written by S.L. Stout and R. Lawerence and was included in the 1995 Society of American Foresters Convention Proceedings. The conference was held October 28-November 1, 1995 in Portland, Maine.

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