Forest Health Walk, Stop 5

Deer Exclosure

This 10-foot tall fence that you see in the woods is called a “deer exclosure.”  SVT installed this fence in 2016 to prevent deer from eating the plants inside. We wanted to demonstrate what a healthy forest would look like if deer did not eat young plants before they could grow to maturity.

In many areas of eastern Massachusetts, high numbers of deer threaten plant regeneration and the long-term health of forests. Typically, one square mile of forest can support 6 to 8 deer and still have an abundance of healthy plants. But in this part of Massachusetts, the deer density is estimated to be much higher--about 10 to 30 deer per square mile.

These hungry deer are eating too many of the young plants that are essential to the health of our forests.

Too many deer can also diminish forest health by making it easy for invasive plants to become established. Deer prefer to feed on native plants such as oak, viburnum, and lady’s slipper. As deer eat many of the native plants in an area, they create more space for invasive plants to grow.

Cowassock Woods and the Ashland Town Forest show signs of having too many deer. Forests with heavy deer browse tend to lack vegetation that is between 2 and 6 feet tall. They also have places where you can see deep into the woods, because there aren’t any shrubs and young trees blocking your view.

You will see an even better example of the lack of young trees at Stop 8. 

Continue following the trail to Stop 6.