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Too Many Deer Damaging Forest Ecosystems, Agriculture – Video Blog

The over-browsing of Pennsylvania’s forests and agricultural areas by too many deer in too many places has eliminated thousands of acres of habitat for birds and other wildlife, and represents the largest single threat to bird habitat, after urban sprawl, according to Timothy D. Schaeffer, Ph.D., Executive Director of Audubon Pennsylvania, the state office of the National Audubon Society.

Video Blog: Timothy Schaeffer’s Comments Before Senate Committee

Dr. Schaeffer made the comments before the Senate Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee at a listening session on rural and agricultural issues in Lebanon, Pennsylvania.

“The impact of deer on our forest ecosystem, the crop and forest products losses, the loss of life and property from deer/car collisions and the impact on public health from the incidence of Lyme disease carried by deer have all been documented and the picture painted by these numbers is not good,” said Dr. Schaeffer.

A study released in March by the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources showed fewer than 25 percent of the 41,650 forest plots they looked at across the state showed desirable forest regeneration and almost 45 percent lacked any new, woody growth.

“Here in the Lebanon area—the Conrad Weiser Forest District—the results are even worse,” Dr. Schaeffer explained. “59 percent of the 1,126 forest plots surveyed showed no forest regeneration and 28 percent showed regeneration with undesirable species.”

The DCNR study and a 2005 study by Audubon Pennsylvania and the Pennsylvania Habitat Alliance show that high deer populations have greatly altered forest understories. The abundance of native wildflowers and other forest-floor plants has been greatly diminished, shrub species have been dramatically decreased or eliminated, and the variety of tree species has declined.

From a bird and wildlife resource perspective, nearly every one of Audubon’s 84 Important Bird Areas in Pennsylvania have experienced significant damage caused by deer over-browsing, reducing much-needed habitat areas. These are areas of habitat critical to the survival and diversity of bird populations that must meet dozens of science-based criteria for designation.

“In addition to habitat losses, there is an estimated $90 million in agricultural crop loss and $73 million in damage to our forest products every year caused by deer, according to the Department of Agriculture,” said Dr. Schaeffer. “Nurseries are losing an average of $20,000 a year due to deer damage, and state taxpayers lose $18 million a year in deferred and lost timber stumpage sales.”

In addition, a 2006 hearing by the House Agriculture and Rural Affairs Committee found--

· Over $78 million in property damage occur in the over 39,000 deer/car collisions each year in Pennsylvania, not counting the deaths and injuries to the people involved, the highest of any state in the nation; and

· The incidence of Lyme disease, a debilitating and sometimes fatal illness spread by deer ticks, has increased by over 9,000 percent between 1987 and 2004, according to the Department of Health.

“Hunters will never agree on how many deer there should be in the woods, and deer certainly don’t go where hunters want them to; they go where there’s food and cover,” said Dr. Schaeffer. “Deer are having a devastating impact on forest ecosystems and many agricultural areas, and we need to continue common sense policies to stem these losses.”

Audubon Pennsylvania made several recommendations to the Committee—

· The first priority should be the restoration and maintenance of fully functional forest ecosystems, containing a full component of native biological diversity at all levels. It is the best way to serve the long-tem interests of the people and wildlife of Pennsylvania.

· Policy-makers and land managers should focus on the indicators of forest health – rather than the number of deer people are seeing– to assess whether our forests are recovering.

· Until data shows Pennsylvania’s forests are recovering, it would be imprudent and irresponsible to further limit hunter effectiveness through restrictions on hunting such as shorter seasons and smaller antlerless allocations.

· Support House Bill 550, sponsored by Rep. Hershey (R-Chester) and Rep. Tom Caltagirone (D-Berks), allowing the owners of farms, forestland and landscape nurseries to better protect agricultural commodities from the damage caused by deer and other wildlife and would make it easier for landowners, local governments and communities to obtain deer removal permits. Sen. McIlhinney (R-Bucks) is considering introduction of a similar bill in the Senate.

· The General Assembly, Governor’s Office and the Game Commission should identify a funding base that is more stable and equitable than funding derived almost exclusively from sources such as license dollars and timber sales on game lands in order to facilitate the shift from single-species management to ecosystem management.

Dr. Schaeffer’s testimony is available online.

For more information, visit the Audubon Pennsylvania’s website or call 717-213-6880.

Video Blog: Timothy Schaeffer’s Comments Before Agriculture Senate Committee

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