Why do some forests have undergrowth so thick you can’t get through it, and others are just tree trunk after tree trunk with no undergrowth at all?
In: Biology
Hi, I’m a field scientist that has worked extensively on projects involving this issue! So this question is right up my alley.
White-tailed deer are the most impactful herbivore on the east coast of the US. Their populations have exploded without predators controlling them. They love eating tasty plants like oak and maple seedlings and ignore plants that don’t taste so great like sedges and beech seedlings. This causes a dramatic change in the understory of the forest since plants cannot grow out of reach of the deer’s mouth. Tree saplings don’t grow into adult trees, shrubs can’t grow taller than a few inches from the ground. The forest becomes much simpler, filled with tall, established trees and plants that grow no taller than a few inches off the ground.
When the plants disappear so do the wildlife that rely on them. Insects don’t have somewhere to hide or pollinate, small mammals lose their homes and sources of food, and birds don’t have somewhere to nest and raise their babies!
Overpopulation of deer is a serious issue. It has recently gained more attention and traction as something that needs to be fixed. There are many way to control the populations and one of the most common is permitting hunting. This is often not taken well by the public, but that’s the nature of the beast when you’re working with the public on a topic that isn’t necessarily well known or understood.
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