Originally Posted by
bluebird2
I think what you might have heard is that limited browsing by deer can reduce the number of seedlings competing for water and nutrients which results in a better growth rate for the seedlings that survive. But , regeneration is based on the total number of seedlings that survive, so increased deer browsing usually results in decreased regeneration.
Good post, very informative. Deer can have beneficial impacts on forest regeneration. EX: black cherry...if you have 20 dpsm you wont regenerate black cherry b/c they'll eat it. However, if you have less than 3-4 dpsm it won't regenerate either b/c of limited browse pressure on competing species. Within 3-20 dpsm there is a threshold for regeneration. More than 20 or less than 3 you wont have black cherry regeneration.