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Location
Ithaca, New York
Start Date
27-9-1983 12:00 AM
Description
The success or failure of forest regeneration efforts in western Oregon and Washington often depends on adequate control of animal damage to young seedlings. Cutover and partially stocked forest lands provide excellent habitat for animals that clip or browse young seedlings. Black and Dimock (1969) estimated that animals were responsible for roughly one out of five reforestation failures. The Cooperative Animal Damage study of coniferous plantations in Oregon and Washington (1963-1975) found that animals damaged an average of 30 percent of all unprotected Douglas-fir seedlings each year on the 165 plots studied (Black et al. 1979). Browsing by deer and elk was by far the most common, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total damage. Animal damage costs the timber industry several million dollars each year in Oregon and Washington. Considering that humans have all but eliminated the key predator to adult deer and elk, the wolf, this situation is not likely to improve.
Recommended Citation
DeYoe, D. R. & Schaap, W. (1983). Comparison of 8 physical barriers used for protecting douglas-fir seedlings from deer browse. In Decker, D. J. (Ed.), The First Eastern Wildlife Damage Control Conference (pp. 77-93). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University.
Included in
Comparison of 8 Physical Barriers Used for Protecting Douglas-Fir Seedlings from Deer Browse
Ithaca, New York
The success or failure of forest regeneration efforts in western Oregon and Washington often depends on adequate control of animal damage to young seedlings. Cutover and partially stocked forest lands provide excellent habitat for animals that clip or browse young seedlings. Black and Dimock (1969) estimated that animals were responsible for roughly one out of five reforestation failures. The Cooperative Animal Damage study of coniferous plantations in Oregon and Washington (1963-1975) found that animals damaged an average of 30 percent of all unprotected Douglas-fir seedlings each year on the 165 plots studied (Black et al. 1979). Browsing by deer and elk was by far the most common, accounting for more than two-thirds of the total damage. Animal damage costs the timber industry several million dollars each year in Oregon and Washington. Considering that humans have all but eliminated the key predator to adult deer and elk, the wolf, this situation is not likely to improve.