Photo: MarkRay66 via Pixabay
Greg Butcher
Deer are eating our understory, presenting another threat to woodlands already endangered by invasive plants, climate change, and development. Wolves and mountain lions, the primary predators of deer, have been eradicated from the Eastern United States, and in many areas the number of deer has been growing steadily. Deer love the suburban habitats we have created. In addition to frustrating home gardeners, the deer are eating the smaller plants and young trees in our parks, and, in many areas, there not enough young trees to replace the older ones as they die.
ASNV focuses on improving habitat for birds and wildlife in our region. Usually, that involves promoting the removal of invasive plant species and their replacement with native plants. We have done this for many years on private property through our Audubon at Home program, and we are expanding this work through partnerships with parks.
The first park we have focused on is Upton Hill Regional Park (in Arlington, on the border of Falls Church) where a lot of work has already been done to improve the vegetation, in both the park and its surrounding neighborhood. Arlington Master Naturalists (ARMN) have done a great job already, but much more needs to be done.
In a recent meeting, participants working in partnership to improve Upton Hill raised the concern that we could spend a lot of time, money, and effort planting natives, but the deer population is so high that they might eat all the new plants before they can benefit the other wildlife in the park.
Arlington County is the only local county that does not have a deer management program. Both Fairfax County in Virginia and Montgomery County in Maryland have extensive deer management programs, and many would like Arlington to adopt a similar program. Loudoun and Prince William Counties also have deer management programs, as does the Commonwealth of Virginia .
Last fall ASNV submitted comments on Arlington County’s draft Forestry and Natural Resources Plan, recommending that the county give higher priority to managing its deer population. We plan to alert our members when the issue comes before the board again this summer, after it receives recommendations from expert consultants on the problem.
And of course, the problem goes beyond Virginia. ARMN recently presented a very interesting webinar by a deer expert at Cornell University who explained the impact deer are having on the ability of our urban forests to replenish themselves. You can watch a recording of his presentation here.