“Control of only invasive shrubs will reduce native cover and not improve tree regeneration,” says David Gorchov, Ph.D., and Miami University (Ohio) biology professor.
“Control of only invasive shrubs will reduce native cover and not improve tree regeneration,” says David Gorchov, Ph.D., and Miami University (Ohio) biology professor. “Managing only deer will increase woody plants but reduce native cover. Management of both stressors is needed to promote tree regeneration and plant community restoration.”
These conclusions summarize research, recently published online in Invasive Plant Science and Management (IPSM). For this study, Gorchov and his coauthors, M.S. student Marco Donoso and undergraduate honors student Hanna Leonard, investigated deer pressure and Amur honeysuckle effects for 11 years in a split-plot experiment in the Miami University Natural Areas in southwest Ohio, where both were at high density.
White-tailed deer and invasive shrubs that deer find palatable are commonly found in high densities in deciduous forests in the eastern and midwestern United States. As a result, these findings will help to inform forest managers throughout the region about successful practices to help forests thrive.
Read more at: Cambridge University Press
A white-tailed deer browses Amur honeysuckle, an invasive shrub within the height deer can reach. (Photo Credit: Elea Cooper)
