You're right about cherry.It needs some sun but it doesn't need to be in a clearcut.The reasonI mentined black cherry is because of it's value and resistance to deer browsing.If this was all about timber revenues,they could concentrate on cherry without worrying about how many deer we have.

There's alot of interesting exclosure in this area that were put up for different reasons.Most were cut prior to fencing but some weren't.In alsmost every case,there's a huge difference in what you find inside compared to outside.

What you've observed with red maple is also correct.Light makes a difference but it will still grow under a mature canopy and it offers excellent deer browse.In the fall when the leaves start to change,the deer also key in on the freshly fallen leaves.Striped maple also gets hit hard around here and it grows very well under a canopy.The probem is,it quickly grows out of the reach of the deer.Witch hazel and hobble bush are two more preffered bowsespecies that are shade tolerant.They usually get hammered before they get a chance to grow and about the only time you'll find hobble bush is behind a fence.Oak will germinate under a canopy and survive off the reserves of the acorn for a year or two.However,unless the canopy opens somewhat,the seedling will die.Even under a mature canopy,a healthy forest will have a mid-level canopy.Once the canopy is opened,that mid-story will take off.I never tried to say light wasn't important.However,when you see an understory with nothing but ferns and laurel,you have a deer problem and that's the case accross much of the northern tier.Deer need to consume about five pounds of browse a day in order to survive a hard winter.When there's no browse and we have 3 feet of snow cover,some deer die(mature bucks first)and the recruitment goes way down.That's what we're seeing the effects of right now in this part of the state.

2004 was the worst year I ever had.I scout constantly and hunt at least four days a week.I killed abuck and a couple doe during archery season but the deer were few and far between.I also only saw a few fawns.This past year was a different story.Last year we had a mild winter and a fair mast crop.the deer made it through winter in good shape and recruitment went up.I didn't see a ton of deer but I saw deer most times I hunted.Since hunting season closed,I've been seeing alot of deer.The mast crop was excellent this year and the winter was extremely mild.As a result,I'm looking forward to a really good fall.What many need to realize is that because of the lack of browse in the northern tier,deer health is heavily depenent on the mast crop which is not reliable from year to year.I've killed as many doe as I had tags for the past few years and I plan on doing the same this year.Until the habitat is in better shape around here,we shouldn't let the herd increase much.the decrease in allocations last year and another decrease this year is a big concern of mine.Two mild winters in a row along with a good mast crop will swell the poulation.That's the last thing we need right now because the habitat is just starting to respond to lower deer numbers.I'd rather suffer with low deer numbers right now than have unhealthy habitat for the rest of this century.Once the habitat is in better shape,we can get back to 20-25 overwinter deer.We should never see the days of 50+ deer a day but 20-25 overwinter deer will give us arond 30+ deer in hunting season if the habitat is in good shape.Sometimes you have to take a few steps backward in order to move ahead.That's exactly what we were doing but if we move forward too fast,any progrees will be lost.