Annual variation in white-tailed deer damage in commercial nurseries

Abstract

White-tailed deer ( Odocoileus virginianus) can cause substantial damage in commercial plant nurseries by browsing plants during the winter. Variation in the severity of deer browsing was studied at eight commercial nurseries in Connecticut for 5–8 years to examine if deer damage could be predicted from historic levels at the same nursery. We found that deer damage could be predicted with some accuracy when 2 or more years of data were available for that nursery. We also assessed several independent variables including local deer densities, the availability of native browse, or winter weather conditions to determine if any correlated with annual changes in deer damage at each nursery. If so, measurement of that variable could be used to predict years when heavy levels of deer damage could be expected, allowing preventative steps to be taken. However, yearly levels of deer browsing at individual nurseries were not associated with any of these variables. There was a similar region-wide pattern in annual deer damage that was not associated with yearly snowfall levels or winter degree days.