Deer to our hearts....but!
02 December 2003
Although deer are beautiful to look at, they are not always regarded as a friend to farmers and landowners as they can eat valuable crops or destroy trees and shrubs before they are mature enough to withstand the deer’s feeding and other habits.
Of the four species of deer found in
They feed mainly on grasses, herbs, conifer foliage and deciduous trees, although bracken, ferns, sedges, fungi, corn, fruit and crops are also eaten. In winter, bramble and yew trees are favourites. Young trees are frayed to mark a deer’s territory, about 7 hectares, and are used like sandpaper to remove velvet from antlers.
Maintaining the diversity of woodlands through a variety of management systems is important. Each system e.g. coppice, clearfell, continuous cover, provides a suitable habitat for a different range of species.
Careful forest design offers the best way to prevent or reduce damage. The main considerations for woodland designers and landowners are:
Silvicultural practice
• The quality and careful handling of plants ensures good take and resistance to damage.
• Spot weeding reduces vegetation competition while retaining other areas for the deer to browse.
• Delaying brashing will reduce damage to stems from bark stripping and fraying.
• Thinning of vegetation decreases the period of susceptibility as it allows bark to thicken and strengthen quicker. Deer strip bark when it is thin.
Provision of adequate natural food and shelter
• Woody browse (or vegetation) rarely accounts for more than twenty percent of a deer’s diet. So, improving the availability of food and water within the forest while maintaining the same number of deer should reduce the damage to trees.
Tree species choice
• Deer prefer willows, aspen and silver birch for browsing.
• Alder and maple are least favoured for browsing.
• Norway spruce, lodgepole pine and ash are preferred for bark stripping.
• Deer damage is often concentrated around the edge of woods, so small
plantations suffer most.
• Areas known to be favoured by deer for feeding should be left open as glades and not planted.
• Deer populations are easier to maintain where there is a mixture of types and ages of vegetation and trees. This also enhances their amenity and nature conservation benefits.
Tree protection
• Deer fencing becomes most cost effective for areas over 25 hectares.
In summary, deer are majestic creatures but can cause damage to the balance of the local environment unless action is taken to control their numbers and systems are introduced to reduce the damage they do.
BUT....we still love them!
