Providence Water & White Tailed Deer

• The Study• Deer Management

Goals & Options• Tunk Hill Deer

Management Coop Area

• Monitoring

The Study

• 2008 Contracted with Natural Resource Consultants (NRC) to– Evaluate Deer Impacts

on 1,000 acres– Determine if Deer are

Overabundant Given our Goals

– If found to be Overabundant Develop Recommendations

The Study

Overabundant Wildlife is Defined as When One Species Limits the Abundance or Occurrence of Another Valued Resource or Interferes

with some Valued Ecological Process or Human Activity.

The Study

• NRC Chose to Concentrate on Deer Impacts to the Forest Rather than Deer Density

• Used SILVAH Developed by the US Forest Service– Quantitative– Analytical– Evaluates Forest Regeneration

and Deer Impacts– Compares to Established

Standards

The Study

When Evaluating Deer Browse Look At

Deer impact levels

Amount of food available

The Study

SILVAH Defines 5 Levels of Deer Impacts

1. None – found only inside fenced areas

2. Low3. Medium4. High5. Very High – Preferred

browse plants are absent, and abundance of non-preferred vegetation is reduced by browsing. Browse resilient plants show signs of heavy repeated browsing

The Study

• Eight Stands Within Study Area Selected

• Transects Established• Plots Sampled

– 6’ radius plots– Hardwood seedlings w/ 2 or

more leaves– Conifer seedlings– Current deer impacts on

vegetation– Amount of preferred browse

present– Amount & condition of non-

preferred browse

The Study

All Stands Evaluated by NRC Ranked as Having a HIGH IMPACT LEVEL. Preferred browse plant species were rare while non-preferred and browse

resilient vegetation was limited in height growth by deer browsing.

The Study

Amount of Food Available Based on– Current browse impacts– Amount of preferred woody

browse– Land use (other sources of

food) within one mile

Food Availability Ranked as LOW

The Study

Need More Seedlings the Higher the Deer Impact Level and the Lower the Food Availability. A Forest Needs at Least 70% of Sampled Plots

to Meet the Standards to be Considered Able to Restock Itself

The Study

With a High Deer Impact Level & Low Food Availability Need:

+15 conifer seedlings per plot or

+50 other desirables or

+100 new oaks or

+50 established oaks

The Study

Stand # Plots # Plots w/ 0 seedlings# Stocked plots needed

# Plots adequately stocked

713 30 2 21 0

715 40 8 28 0

New 40 26 28 0

722 23 5 16 0

726 25 11 17 1

550 41 28 28 0

550a 36 7 25 0

590 48 4 33 0

Stand # Plots # Plots w/ 0 seedlings# Stocked plots needed

# Plots adequately stocked

Conclusion

Given Our Primary Mission and Our Dependence on the Successful

Management of the Forest to Meet that Mission and the Current Conflict

Between Deer Impacts and Forest Management, it is Clear that by

Definition that Deer are OVERABUNDANT in the Study

Area

NRC Deer Management Goals for PWSB• Maintain deer as a valued component of the forest while

implementing a restoration plan that restores, maintains, and protects the structure, diversity, and function of the forest

• Reduce the potential for exotic invasive plants

Deer Management Goals

• Reduce deer-auto strikes

• Manage deer in a safe, humane, and responsible manner

• Establish a monitoring program to assess impacts and guide deer impact reduction efforts

Options

• No Action – Not Recommended• Mitigation Techniques (Fencing,

Repellents) – Not Recommended• Restore Predators – Not Recommended• Trap & Transfer – Not Recommended• Contraception – Not Recommended

Options

• Human Directed Mortality1. Trap and euthanasia – Not recommended2. Sharpshooters – Not recommended3. Agricultural damage permits

– Not recommended4. Recreational Hunters – Recommended

1. Public hunting2. Controlled hunt3. Hunting leases

PWSB Watershed Staff Recommends Controlled Hunt Over Other Options

On March 17, 2010 The Providence Water Supply Board

Authorized the Implementation of a Deer Impact Control Program Throughout the Watershed Property

Tunk Hill Deer Management Coop Area

• Encompasses Approximately 1,000 Acres • Deer Hunting by Permit Only• Number of Permits Will be Limited to 50

for the 2010 – 2011 Season• DEM Will Receive Applications and

Conduct Lottery if Necessary• Follows DEM Seasons for Deer Hunting

Tunk Hill Deer Management Coop Area

For Those with Permits Allows1. Archery – September 15 to

January 31

2. Muzzleloader – November 6 to November 28 and December 26 to January 2

3. Shotgun – December 4 to December 12 and December 26 to January 2

Tunk Hill Deer Management Coop Area

• An Antlerless Deer Must be Harvested Prior to Taking a Buck

• Will be an Ongoing Effort Not Just One Year

• Other Areas Being Impacted by Overabundant Deer Will be Added as Other Coop Areas in Future Years if Appropriate

Goal is Ecosystem Balance, not Recreation

Monitoring - What Do We Measure?

• Vegetation Monitoring Plots within Area– Six transects with 6 permanent

plots on each have been established

– Each transect will have an additional adjacent plot that will be fenced to exclude deer

– Each plot is 11meter radius where all vegetation greater than 4.5’ tall is measured

– A 1.78 meter radius sub plot with the same center established where all seedlings and herbaceous plants are counted

What Do We Measure?

• Deer Exclosures Ensure the Changes in Vegetation are the Result of Changing Deer Numbers

• Provides a Measure of the Potential Seedling and Herbaceous Diversity, Density, and Height

• Guides Deer Removal Either up or down

What Do We Measure?

RI DEM

Baseline Herd Density Estimates• Spotlight survey• Aerial counts in winter• Onsite remote sensing

equipment (motion cameras)

Success When

• Deer Impacts are Reduced so Similar Species Richness, Structure, and Flowering are Found in Fenced and Unfenced Plots

• Deer Impacts are Reduced so Tree Regeneration Meets Quantitative Standards

• Deer-Auto Strikes are Reduced Around the Forest

Questions?