The only regeneration occuring around here was in an area that got leveled by a tornado in 1985
Now think about it was it the deer that were responsible for the lack of regrowth or was it due to the forest canopy not allowing light to the forest floor. If the deer herd were decimating all the new growth you would never have seen it in the areas hit by the tornado. The regrowth you are seeing now in the areas with a mature canopy most of these seedlings will not survive to maturity due to a lack of sunlight. In the areas that were opened up the regrowth will be everywhere you look. Hopefully someone like your forester friend hits those areas and plants oak, apple, cherry, crab apple seedlings so these areas are not over taken by a more invasive specie like maple or birch The problem we now face is we have lowered the deer population and there is no hard and fast plan on paper to begin opening up the forest through timbering and promoting regrowth and replanting. So the areas that may have been over browsed will receive little if any help in stimulating regrowth