The challenges are many. We can relate the failure to many issues: loss of seed sources, competing understory plants such as ferns or mountain laurel, too many poor quality trees and wrong species left after harvesting, and excessive deer populations. The latter issue is very controversial, but if there are only a few seedlings or stump sprouts of desirable browse in the woods, even a few deer can have a major effect.

To learn more about your wood's future as you walk through the winter landscape, look for young trees on the forest floor. Are they poking up through flattened ferns? Are they extending above the snow? Is there a general layer of shrubs that deer apparently don’t eat? Are deer stopping to browse on the seedlings you do see? Do you see evidence of deer, turkey, and squirrel digging and scraping for seeds in the forest litter? There are many questions to consider in understanding the potential of your woods to provide future benefits.

Research studies repeatedly find that if you fail to have regeneration in place before harvesting, you will struggle to get regeneration in the future. Other competing plants will have the advantage over young trees trying to establish themselves. Seedlings already on the site, that are tall and strong, can compete successfully with other plants. If repeated browsing has created misshapen seedlings with multiple tops, their ability to develop into quality stems may be frustrated. The evidence of wildlife looking for seeds clearly suggests your overstory trees are fruiting, but if none of the seed ever sprouts, there could be too much competition for mast, or light conditions either in the canopy or close to the ground may not be ideal.