Every small watershed drains to a larger watershed that eventually flows to the ocean. Leap position statement on whitetailed deer management updated august 2016 position. Ecological impacts deer may browse herbaceous plants, shrubs, and. This species uses a wide variety of habitats, including forests. Whitetailed deer consume buds and twigs of young trees as well as many understory herbaceous plants. From the perspective of longterm forest health, tree regeneration is critical to the survival of forests and their ability to recover from natural disturbances. Environmental problems caused by deforestation of tropical rain forests. However, there have been no attempts to model the impact of bow hunting on deer population growth. It is currently difficult to estimate deer populations at multiple scales ranging from stand, county, state, and regional levels. Longterm regional shifts in plant community composition are. Since they are highly adapted large herbivores with multichambered. Pdf ecological impacts of deer overabundance steeve.
Urban deer can cause problems by browsing gardens, destroying landscape or emptying bird feeders. Direct and indirect effects of whitetailed deer in forest. Trophic cascade effects of deer overabundance on connecticut. Sambar are a large deer species, with mature females weighing 150 kilograms kg and males up to 200250 kg.
Deer overpopulation has become a significant problem especially in suburban areas of maryland. Section 3 discusses the many specific impacts to ecosystems that result from highway development activities. In the northern suburbs of nyc, land managers have begun implementing bowonly hunts to reduce overabundant whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus herds in an effort to promote forest regeneration. The ecological impacts of deer are complex and varied, but all too often it is clear that these impacts are detrimental to forest health and sustainability. Deer were reintroduced into indiana in 1934, and have flourished since that time. Some of these negative impacts are subtle enough to be unnoticed even by people who spend a lot of time in the woods.
Once the terminal leader of a tree grows above the reach of deer, impacts from browsing are significantly reducedthus, seedlings and saplings are the most vulnerable to damage 35. Whitetailed deer impacts and forest management nrcs usda. Longterm regional shifts in plant community composition. Too many deer in some places, deer populations are now so high that they cause longterm negative ecological effects, eating out forest understories of wildflowers, shrubs. The number and significance of these effects make clear that deer can tip forest ecosystems toward alternative states by acting as ecosystem. Water quality impacts environmental, health and economic. Environmental pollution, types, causes, impact and. The effects of herbivory by whitetailed deer accurately account for many of the longterm regional shifts observed in species abundances r2 0. Environmental burden of disease associated with inadequate housing a method guide to the quantification of health effects of selected housing risks in the who european region. Impacts of whitetailed deer overabundance in forest ecosystems. Finding that balance requires understanding local deer related impacts, both ecological and social, and evaluating the costs and benefits of changes in deer density. A growing body of ecological studies see waller and alverson 1997 and russell et al.
There is also a general public perception that a deer management. Assessment of environmental impacts of shell gtl fuel. In 1997, two comprehensive books were published on deer overabundance to help wildlife professionals understand the complex biological, ecological, sociopolitical, public, and legal issues associated with managing overabundant deer. Finding that balance requires understanding local deerrelated impacts, both ecological and social, and evaluating the costs and benefits of changes in deer density. Deer impacts can be very visible and deer browsing can unquestionably alter forest structure. I used the book to obtain a scientific paper i needed for a paper i am writing for an ecological journal. Impacts of deer overabundance 117 socialandeconomicconsequences ofdeeroverabundance impactsonhumanactivities deer generate both positive and negative economic values, and negative values increaseasdeerbecomeoverabundantconover1997. Keystone species like the coyote can have a regulatory effect on smaller predator. Feral fallow deer department of agriculture and fisheries.
There is also a growing awareness that deer are altering forests pdf across the state, perhaps. Deer overabundance, forest ecosystem, metaanalysis, odocoileus virginianus, plant diversity, understorey plant community. With decreased predator populations there is an absence of effective population control for whitetailed deer. Mixed hardwood and conifer forest with patches of different ages, especially with forest deer populations increased impacts regeneration failure increased costs of.
They inflict major economic losses in forestry, agriculture, and transportation and contribute to the transmission of several animal and human diseases. Sediment can come from soil erosion or from the decomposition of plants and animals. Deer reduce native plant biodiversity of trees, shrubs, wildflowers, etc. Do efforts to control deer populations really work. They inflict major economic losses in forestry, agriculture, and transportation and contribute to the transmission of several animal and human. Evaluation of ecological impacts from highway development.
Ecological impacts of deer overabundance city of bloomington. An economic assessment of the impacts of whitetailed deer overabundance in town of hamilton, new york charles lichtenauer. The adverse impacts of whitetailed deer in fairfax county are readily recognized as a problem by many of its residents. The whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus is a large. These projects are presented as seven case studies. Final environmental impact statement background 1 background background, eis distribution, and how to use this document background. Trophic cascade effects of deer overabundance on connecticuts native vegetation and small mammal populations megan a. Pdf ecological impacts of deer overabundance on temperate and.
One of the main knowledge transfer gaps relates to the need to facilitate understanding of the herbivore impact assessment methodology and the practical use of hia data within the deer management planning process, through the provision of skills training. Of deer overabundance impacts on human activities deer generate both positive and negative economic values, and negative values increase as deer become overabundant conover 1997. The objective of this study is to investigate the ecological impacts of whitetailed deer across northern us forests using regional datasets, including a systematic forest resource inventory and estimates of deer abundance. They stray onto roads becoming traffic hazards and may cause motor vehicle accidents in rural and urban areas. Their impact on natural ecosystems is also dramatic but less quantified. Deer have expanded their range and increased dramatically in abundance worldwide in recent decades. Pdf deer have expanded their range and increased dramatically in abundance worldwide in recent decades. With the lack of top predators such as wolves to keep down the deer populations, reduced populations of foxes to catch mice and opossums to eat ticks, and increasing suburban encroachment.
They inflict major economic losses in forestry, agriculture, and transportation and contribute to. Waller department of botany, university of wisconsin at. Environmental burden of disease associated with inadequate housing. These observed longterm regional changes in community composition could reflect the action of many ecological factors including succession, habitat fragmentation, climate change, and aerial nitrogen deposition as well as deer impacts. For the ecological impacts component of the overall work, the following issues were addressed. We are not denying that deer can have a significant impact on our northeastern forests. By foraging selectively, deer affect the growth and survival of many. While deer are an important part of a forest ecosystem, an overabundance of deer has negative impacts on the future health and biodiversity of the forest. Early deer populations when europeans settled our area, deer averaged 810. Download citation impacts of whitetailed deer overabundance in forest ecosystems. Documented impacts across the eastern united states include local extirpation of native species, minimal tree regeneration, loss of forest structure through browsing of shrubs, reductions in survival and reproduction of forest herbs. The economic, human, and ecological impacts of deer overabundance continue to rise. Forests with sustained high deer populations are susceptible to deer overbrowsing young tree seedlings. An economic assessment of the impacts of whitetailed deer.
Because deer are herbivores, they dedicate a considerable amount of time to foraging, which can lead to several negative impacts when the population is unbalanced. Feral deer can alter the structure and composition of endangered ecological communities, cause erosion and spread weed seeds. The effects of cutting down trees on the ecosystem hunker. Webster 2005 found severe and lasting impacts at smoky mountain national park to be so complete that some plants such as trilliums were unlikely to recolonize local areas on their own. Can controlled bow hunts reduce overabundant whitetailed. Allen pursell, troy weldy and mark white 8820 i now suspect that just as a deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of its deer. Ecological impacts in areas supporting high deer densities involve the. William mcshea and his colleagues explore every aspect of the issue in the science of overabundance. Because of their potential to cause harmful impacts to the environment sambar are a declared pest animal in the act under the pest plants and animals act 2005. What broader lessons can we learn from efforts to understand deer population dynamics.
An overview the whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus occupies a prominent position in the fabric of the. Browsing of tree seedlings by deer reduces economic value, ecological stability, and species diversity of forests. California air resources board deer conference 2002. Browsingoftreeseedlingsby deer reduces economic value, ecological stability, and species diversity of forests. Facts about sediment the environmental protection agency lists sediment as the most common pollutant in. The density of deer that is desirable in a given area is one that maximizes the beneficial effects of deer while minimizing their negative impacts. These results support the conjecture that deer impacts have driven many of the regional shifts in forest understory cover. Pdf ecological impacts of deer overabundance on temperate. A watershed is an area of land that drains to a common point, such as a nearby creek, stream, river or lake. Quantifying impacts of whitetailed deer odocoileus. Abstract deer have expanded their range and increased dramatically in abundance worldwide in recent decades.
The incidence of deer overabundance at brookhaven national laboratory may be related to impacts on the population of birds there as well. Ecological and agricultural impacts of introduced deer. Mcshea,2 and susan kalisz 1 1department of biological sciences, university of pittsburgh, a234 langley hall, 4249 fifth avenue, pittsburgh. Whitetailed deer overabundance is a threat to millions of acres of forest land in the northeastern united states. Communitylevel impacts of whitetailed deer on understorey plants. Deer are also welldocumented vectors for the dispersal of nonnative exotic plants knight et al. Pollutants may cause primary damage, with direct identifiable impact on the environment, or secondary damage in the form of minor perturbations in the delicate balance of the biological food web that are detectable only over long time periods. Impacts of whitetailed deer on forest health in the pine. Whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus browse damage. Kelly, effects of an invasive cattail species typha x glauca on sediment nitrogen and microbial community composition in a freshwater wetland.
Effects of deer overabundance on bird populations in the long. We recommend this book to anyone interested in deer populations and their effects on ecosystems. Assessing significance of impacts on bird populations. Indirect effects of deer overabundance are more difficult to ascertain and document. While the problem is seen from a variety of perspectives, there is a general consensus that the root cause is overabundance of deer in many local areas. Effects of deer overabundance on bird populations in the long island central pine barrens raffaele vesia, department of earth and marine sciences, dowling college, oakdale, ny 11769 timothy green and jennifer higbie, department of environmental health and safety, brookhaven national laboratory, upton, ny. This document addresses changes to the draft environmental impact statement eis resulting from the public comment period february 5 march 22, 2010 on the draft deer. Limited research about deer impacts on tree densities at landscape scales tends to focus on deer effects on seedlings and saplings, which may. Ecological impacts of deer overabundance by steeve d. Wolves also mitigate climate change impacts on scavenger species by increasing food availability. Elevated population levels of whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus zimmerman can drastically alter forest ecosystems and negatively impact society through human interactions such as deer vehicle collisions. Whitetailed deer impacts and forest management introduction the whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus is a large native mammal that occupies most of north america and has a range extending throughout new jersey.
This page links to scientific studies which illustrate the negative impact of overabundant whitetailed deer on ecological health and human wellbeing. Deer of several species have increased in abundance across much of north america in recent decades. Within such a landscape, deer impacts will vary spatially, temporally, and among plant species, in relation to the population density of the deer herd. Most notably, it is found in the interacting links of primary producer, primary consumer. Whitetailed deer can have significant effects on forest health, species composition, and economic development. Kathy schwager, environmental health and protection, brookhaven national laboratory, upton, new york 11973 abstract excessive browsing due to the overpopulation of whitetailed deer odocoileus virginianus has had impacts to forest health throughout the eastern united states, including the long island pine barrens region. Floyd natural resources and the environment, megan. Line graph of total counts of birds and deer take in new york state. Consumer acceptability advice and health effects analysis on sodium, epa822r03006, 2003a. Impacts of whitetailed deer overabundance in forest. Ecological impacts in areas supporting high deer densities involve the degradation of forest health. The effects of cutting down trees on the ecosystem. Environmental burden of disease associated with inadequate.
Legal requirements feral fallow deer is a restricted invasive animal under the biosecurity act 2014. By foraging selectively, deer affect the growth and survival of many herb, shrub, and tree species, modifying patterns of relative abundance and vegetation dynamics. As a regional alliance dedicated to conserving nature for future generations, lake erie allegheny partnership for biodiversity leap members believe that natural communities in our region need to be actively managed and conserved based on scientific. Section 2 illustrates how the evaluation of ecologica. Cascading effects on other species extend to insects, birds, and other mammals. As manager and steward of the blue hills reservation, dcr has become increasingly concerned with the longterm health of the reservations forest and the ecological impacts of sustained high deer densities on this natural resource.
The main prey of the mountain lion also called cougar or puma is deer, but cougars will kill and eat elk. According to cote, what has proven ineffective is hunting as usual, traditional hunting practices that exclude the practice from private land, from urban and suburban. Supplemental feeding is identified as costly from both a financial and ecological perspective. By foraging selectively, deer affect the growth and survival. Ecological and agricultural impacts of introduced deer across. Does whitetailed deer density affect tree stocking in forests of the. Impacts on endangered species with laws such as the endangered species act waived, walls were built through the habitat of many species on the endangered species list, including jaguar, sonoran pronghorn, and ocelot. Economic impacts of deer on forests environmental impact statement on rules to eradicate chronic wasting disease from wisconsins freeranging whitetailed deer herd. Deer impacts in pennsylvania the forest nobody knows is a brief summary of severe deer impacts on forest understory condition.
Wind, water and ice help carry these particles to rivers, lakes and streams. This should take into account any mitigation, compensation or enhancement measures that may be intended to eliminate or reduce such adverse impacts. Review article structuring effects of deer in boreal. Impacts on forest health deer impacts in pennsylvania the forest nobody knows is a brief summary of severe deer impacts on forest understory condition and postforestry regeneration based upon research performed by dr. Effects of deer overabundance on bird populations in the. This software is available free of charge on the internet. The ecological role of coyotes, bears, mountain lions. This study is a key piece of research cited by many researchers today doman and rasmussen, 1944. Direct and indirect effects of deer overabundance on forest succession and other species in the ecosystem. Border wall environmental impacts deer stopped by the border wall in arizonas san.