Effects of white-tailed deer on post-fire plant succession

Saeki, Midori; Harrison, Daniel

From the official abstract: "Six deer exclosures that were constructed in Acadia National Park, Maine during 1949-1968 were surveyed during summer 1989. Three exclosures were located on areas burned in 1947, and 3 sites were located on unburned sites. Woody stems were tallied by 4 height classes (seedling, sapling, shrub-sized, and tree-sized classes) and ground cover was estimated within and outside exclosures. The effects of browsing on species composition and stem density were most prominent within the shrub height class (0.5 - 2.0 m); species richness and densities of heavily utilized species in the shrub height class were greater inside exclosures than in control plots. There were no significant differences in mean tree height (P>0.20) or dbh (P>0.50) between exclosures and adjacent controls; however, height distributions of trees differed significantly between exclosures and controls. Height distribution of vegetation was influenced by browsing to a greater extent than mean height or dbh of trees, especially for species preferred by deer. Differences in species composition, stem densities, and height distribution between exclosure and control sites were more apparent in white cedar (Thuja occidentalis) dominated habitats than in hardwood habitats. Effects of browsing on height distribution of white cedar was dependent on fire history."