Skip to main content

Main menu

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Index/Abstracts
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Call for Papers
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
    • Land Economics
    • Landscape Journal
    • Native Plants Journal

User menu

  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart

Search

  • Advanced search
Ecological Restoration
  • Other Publications
    • UWP
    • Land Economics
    • Landscape Journal
    • Native Plants Journal
  • Register
  • Subscribe
  • My alerts
  • Log in
  • My Cart
Ecological Restoration

Advanced Search

  • Home
  • Content
    • Current
    • Archive
  • Info for
    • Authors
    • Subscribers
    • Institutions
    • Advertisers
  • About Us
    • About Us
    • Editorial Board
    • Index/Abstracts
  • Connect
    • Feedback
    • Help
  • Alerts
  • Free Issue
  • Call for Papers
  • Follow uwp on Twitter
  • Visit uwp on Facebook
Research ArticleResearch Article

Restoring Forests in Central New Jersey through Effective Deer Management

Thomas Almendinger, Michael Van Clef, Jay F. Kelly, Michael C. Allen and Charles Barreca
Ecological Restoration, December 2020, 38 (4) 246-256; DOI: https://doi.org/10.3368/er.38.4.246
Thomas Almendinger
Duke Farms, Hillsborough, NJ 08844
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • For correspondence: [email protected]
Michael Van Clef
Ecological Solutions, LLC, Great Meadows, NJ.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Jay F. Kelly
Center for Environmental Studies at Raritan Valley Community College, Branchburg, NJ.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Michael C. Allen
Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Natural Resources, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
Charles Barreca
Duke Farms, Hillsborough, NJ.
  • Find this author on Google Scholar
  • Find this author on PubMed
  • Search for this author on this site
  • Article
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF
Loading

Abstract

Overabundant deer and other large herbivores can degrade ecosystems and hamper restoration efforts. We examined the recovery of forest understory vegetation and tree regeneration following intensive deer management at Duke Farms, a 1108-ha preserve in central New Jersey, USA, severely degraded by extremely high densities of deer (> 80 km−2) and non-indigenous plant species. A 2004 deer cull followed by sustained hunting pressure reduced deer densities to 3.8 km–2 inside a 260-ha deer exclosure, and ~14 km–2 outside. We monitored understory conditions between 2008 and 2019 in both areas using rapid presence/absence assessment techniques and compared stem density measures with regional and historical datasets to assess tree regeneration. Native vegetation rebounded rapidly, increasing in vertical density at browse height by 4.9% per year inside the exclosure and 2.0% outside, while non-native vegetation increased 3.0% and 2.4% per year, respectively. Larger (> 30 cm) native tree seedlings became 12× and 5× more abundant inside and outside the exclosure, respectively, relative to nearby forests lacking aggressive deer management. Native shrubs and palatable herbs that were virtually eliminated before deer culling began, however, remain scarce. Our results demonstrate that reducing deer densities can enhance our ability to restore forested habitats, even in extremely degraded sites where the region as a whole remains severely impaired. Simple methods may be used to track these improvements, but both management and monitoring must be sustained, and forest understories may need to be augmented by actively planting native species and/or controlling non-native species to ultimately succeed.

Keywords:
  • deer exclosure
  • deer management
  • forest understory
  • invasive species
  • tree regeneration
View Full Text

This article requires a subscription to view the full text. If you have a subscription you may use the login form below to view the article. Access to this article can also be purchased.

Log in using your username and password

Forgot your user name or password?

Purchase access

You may purchase access to this article. This will require you to create an account if you don't already have one.
PreviousNext
Back to top

In this issue

Ecological Restoration: 38 (4)
Ecological Restoration
Vol. 38, Issue 4
1 Dec 2020
  • Table of Contents
  • Table of Contents (PDF)
  • Index by author
  • Back Matter (PDF)
  • Front Matter (PDF)
Print
Download PDF
Article Alerts
Sign In to Email Alerts with your Email Address
Email Article

Thank you for your interest in spreading the word on Ecological Restoration.

NOTE: We only request your email address so that the person you are recommending the page to knows that you wanted them to see it, and that it is not junk mail. We do not capture any email address.

Enter multiple addresses on separate lines or separate them with commas.
Restoring Forests in Central New Jersey through Effective Deer Management
(Your Name) has sent you a message from Ecological Restoration
(Your Name) thought you would like to see the Ecological Restoration web site.
Citation Tools
Restoring Forests in Central New Jersey through Effective Deer Management
Thomas Almendinger, Michael Van Clef, Jay F. Kelly, Michael C. Allen, Charles Barreca
Ecological Restoration Dec 2020, 38 (4) 246-256; DOI: 10.3368/er.38.4.246

Citation Manager Formats

  • BibTeX
  • Bookends
  • EasyBib
  • EndNote (tagged)
  • EndNote 8 (xml)
  • Medlars
  • Mendeley
  • Papers
  • RefWorks Tagged
  • Ref Manager
  • RIS
  • Zotero
Share
Restoring Forests in Central New Jersey through Effective Deer Management
Thomas Almendinger, Michael Van Clef, Jay F. Kelly, Michael C. Allen, Charles Barreca
Ecological Restoration Dec 2020, 38 (4) 246-256; DOI: 10.3368/er.38.4.246
Twitter logo Facebook logo Mendeley logo
  • Tweet Widget
  • Facebook Like
  • Google Plus One
Bookmark this article

Jump to section

  • Article
    • Abstract
    • Methods
    • Results
    • Discussion
    • Conclusion
    • Acknowledgments
    • References
  • Figures & Data
  • Info & Metrics
  • References
  • PDF

Related Articles

  • No related articles found.
  • Google Scholar

Cited By...

  • No citing articles found.
  • Google Scholar

More in this TOC Section

  • Effects of Restoration on Small Headwater Stream Quality
  • Container Type but not Substrate or Hydrogel affects Establishment of Sandhill Milkweed (Asclepias humistrata)
  • Natural Regeneration Dynamics of Himalayan Forests
Show more Research Article

Similar Articles

Keywords

  • deer exclosure
  • deer management
  • forest understory
  • invasive species
  • tree regeneration
UW Press logo

© 2025 Board of Regents of the University of Wisconsin System

Powered by HighWire