During the summer, if there are healthy forest habitats, more deer feed in the forested habitats and thus less in the areas where they wear out their welcome to the neighborhood gardens and farm crops.
That simply is not true. During the summer when gardens and farm crops are growing, there is an unlimited food supply in the woods and fringe areas and deer simply chose to feed on farm crops and gardens because those are a preferred food source just like they prefer red maple over beech. Therefore improved forest health would have no effect on crop damage or browsing on shrubs in the winter.
The plan and simple fact of the matter is that a healthy forest habitat can and will mean higher long term sustainable deer numbers then what can be sustained without good forest health. Once the forest habitat declines even the deer are smart enough to reduce their own numbers so there isn’t much man can do to reverse that other then help those deer keep their own numbers in balance with that habitat.
That is simply your flawed theory of how things should work . But the deer in the real world in 5C, 5D, 2B ,5B,2A and others along with Gettysburg and Valley Forge have proved that you are wrong. When Valley Forge can support over 200 D ,for an extended period when it is surrounded by developments , proves beyond a doubt that the previous goals of 6 DPSM in 5C were not based on science or the carrying capacity of the habitat and managing our herd based on the regeneration of commercially timber, while ignoring all the other habitat that allows much higher deer densities is not managing the herd based on good science and the best wild life management principles.