Here is an exact quote of what the experts are saying.
In typically-managed northern hardwood forests, with the amount of forage created by
timber management activities and natural disturbance regimes, densities below 10 - 15 deer per
square mile are associated with fully diverse plant communities: deer impact is sufficiently low
that no plant species are eliminated or greatly reduced by preferential browsing by deer. This
threshold is likened to “diversity carrying capacity”. When densities exceed 30 deer per square
mile, deer obtain enough nutrition from plant species resistant to high deer densities to maintain
body condition and a high reproductive rate: this point is likened to “nutrition carrying
capacity.” When deer densities are this high, significant reductions in plant diversity, vertical
habitat structure and species composition occur.
Please note that it states that at 30+ DPSM deer maintain body condition and a high reproductive rate. That directly contradicts your claim that the habitat in 2G is controlling at 8 DPSM.
Furthermore, the data that you provided shows that the habitat in Elk Co. support 30 DPFSM in 1987 and 26 DPFSM in 2000. So the der where you live and the data you provided shows you are not telling the truth.