ad two--deer yard study
In fact, the increased grassiness of deer yards is one of their more obvious botanica
features."
It is still not known whether this increased grass is of benefit to the
deer, the scientists add.
Some plant species that increase most under deer pressure in the lowland
forest yarding areas are theset
Brome grass, bluejoint grass, beaked hazelnut, groundpine, braken fern,
and staghorn sumac*
Plants that decrease in number under browse pressure are marsh marigold,
roundleaf dogwood, Moccasin-flower, pyrola, ground hemlock, red currant, common
fern, nightshade, and miterwort,
These plants are termed indicator species by the botanists, because they
show how much deer pressure exists, None of them are necessarily significant as
deer food plants.
By measuring the amount by which these plants decrease or increase,
botanists can guage the severity of browsing pressure existing in the deer yard,
the scientists say. It will also serve as a tool for long-term studies of changes
in vegetation brought about by the presence of a good-sized deer herd in yarding
areas*
The scientists point out that their method is still to be refined con-
siderably, and the Wisconsin forests they have now studied will be watched in years
to come to learn the effect of the deer herd on them.