ABSTRACT
Chapter 13 dealt with the impact of overabundant deer herds on silvicultural treatments designed to enhance timber production. This chapter deals with the other side of the deer-silviculture coin: using silvicultural treatments to improve deer and habitat condition while reducing the negative impact of deer on forest resources. Silvicultural influence on deer management is of two kinds: (1) improvement of habitat, including forage, thermal, and hiding cover, and (2) influence on deer spatial use of habitat to reduce impact on forest resources. Silvicultural practices designed to influence deer management are effective only at the deer–forest management area (DFMA—see Chapter 9) level where managers have control over the placement, size, type, and timing of the practices.
