That will only happen if the environmental conditions that exist today favor oak regeneration.

So your saying I'm not a kook or what?
Make up your mind!

Remember...not everything is the PGC's fault. There are a variety of reasons why this or that won't grow. Some have to do with deer, (which you won't concede) and some don't.
I understand the complexity of it, even if I don't know every detail.

There are areas thatI am familiar with, that grew such a dense high level canopy, that all the mid-level trees died out. There is not a single sapling or seedling growing ANYWHERE....nothing but ferns and dirt. The deer didn't eat the mid-level trees like beavers...they just died out.
The only sapling you will see in that area is an occasional poplar having three trunks over 10 feet long and about six leaves on each trunk total.
The thingsare barely making a living.
The area I speak of is an ancient glaciated region that has only sandy soil, no loam of any kind. An Oak will not grow there unless you bring in the dirt for it. That's whatI referred to before.

I agree that there are a variety of reasons why some trees won't grow and I have no problem admitting that deer can be a major factor in limiting regeneration. Prior to your most recent posts you showed no indication that you recognized there were other factors limiting regeneration besides over browsing by deer. Now that we have found some common ground, maybe we can elevate the quality of these debates.

i agree that oak growth is determined by site specific conditions. But even when an area that was dominated by oaks prior to a harvest ,may not regenerate in oaks because of their low shade tolerance and slow growth rate compared to red maple,sugar maple , poplar, ash,beech or birch. Do you agree?

That will only happen if the environmental conditions that exist today favor oak regeneration.

So, if environmental conditions exist that favor oak regeneration andsome sunlight penetrates the canopy, then any great numbersofbrowsed oak seedlings in evidence,will not be considered to have been adversely-impacted by deer numbers in the area?

Got it.

Would you please explain what environmental conditions would favor oak regeneration when oak is the slowest growing species of all commercially valuable timber/

I think that certain logging methods favor one species over another sometimes.
You must be slipping, because I have always been a very vocal proponent of clearcutting on this forum. No secret there. DougE knows how muchI favor clearcutting from past debates. I know I'm no educated forester, but I know that all the good we had in this state, the hunting, the prosperity of our economy, we owed to that clearcutting of days gone by. It is ugly at first, and that is why it is politically incorrect now. But sometimes beauty is in the eye of the ecology, and not aesthetic.
The life that comes from widespread devastation is like a miracle at work.
That is the wayI have always felt on the matter. Where have you been?

You ask where have I been and i can ask the same question to you regarding harvesting BB or x-bows in archery. Where have you been where there is no evidence that x-bows will create a problem?

i am trying to find out if the PGC did a PREFERRED BURN in clinton county.

i heard they were going to do one in the hyner,pa. area this fall.

Oak trees need light but they don't have to be in direct sunlight to mature.They also are tolerant to acidic soils.Simply clearcutting an area generally will not give you good oak regeneration,unless that's all you have to begin with.This is true,even behind a fence.What they do today to get decent oak regeneration is to do a shelterwood cut.With a shelterwood cut,they open up the canopy enough to let some light in but they leave good seed producing trees.What they're trying to get is some advanced oak regeneration going before they take the rest of the overstory.This is important because other species such as striped maple,birch,red mapleetc. will take off and out compete the oakoncethe canopy is open.Basically,they're giving the oak a head start by creating advanced oak regeneration prior to the main cut.In many cases,they also have to fence these cuts or the deer will eat every bit of oak regeneration in there.Now in many areas,they don't have to fence because deer densities are low enough.I can show anybody dozens of examples that proves how deer impact these cuts.Another proponent to getting goodregeneration is using herbicides to kill ferns.they'll spray just prior to a cut and that using takes care of ferns for about three years.Fire is also a tool being used.Oaks survive fire because of their deep root systems and thicker bark.The fire however,usually does a good job taking out the thin barked species like beech,birch and maple.These species all compet will tyhe slower growing oaks.Fire is very effective taking out the competing striped maple.Alot of cool stuff and alot of science goes into managing our state forests and state game lands.Take the time to go out with a professional and learn.These guys really do know what they're doing.It ain't that simple though.There's alot more to it than simply letting losse the Hatfields and McCoys with their chain saws.