AVID: A rapid method for assessing deer browsing of hardwood regeneration

Abstract

Extensive deer browsing threatens the ability of many forests in the northeastern United States to regenerate and sustain their biodiversity. To reliably assess whether deer are reducing the regeneration of key tree species valued for timber and wildlife, we developed a rapid field protocol for Assessing Vegetation Impacts from Deer (AVID, http://AVIDdeer.com). AVID is a method for foresters, landowners, volunteers, and others to measure the effect of deer browsing on seedling growth. Our objectives were to: 1. Determine if the AVID method could detect differences in growth rates for protected (fenced) and unprotected seedlings, 2. Evaluate AVID’s usefulness as a regeneration monitoring tool for citizen-science engagement, and 3. Compare and contrast the relative strengths and weaknesses of common methods for measuring deer impacts to vegetation. We compared fenced and unfenced plots at 10 research sites in New York State to validate the sensitivity of AVID for detecting deer impacts to seedling growth. Tagged seedlings were measured annually for height growth in replicated plots. Deer reduced average seedling height growth of palatable species several fold at these sites often in combination with the effects of site and year. From 2016 through 2020, we conducted 59 AVID training events with 1,399 participants including landowners, students, educators, naturalists, resource management professionals, and land trust staff. Volunteers established plots at 83 sites in 24 New York counties demonstrating that AVID provides a valued citizen-science approach for both teaching people and assessing deer impacts to forest regeneration. Once volunteers consistently monitor a statistically valid number of plots for several years, the New York’s Department of Environmental Conservation intends to use AVID data to inform deer management decisions.