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Deer Enclosure

May contain: grove, land, nature, outdoors, plant, tree, vegetation, woodland, wilderness, ground, soil, swamp, water, path, and trail

Many forests in Vermont are facing the problem of overbrowsing, which occurs when there is an over-consumption of native saplings. Over-consumption reduces the survival rate of saplings, and inhibits forests' ability to regenerate. This leaves a forest with many large trees in the canopy, but with an understory that contains stunted young trees. Most of the time, overbrowsing is due to a high white-tailed deer population. Saplings are preferred by deer, for they can easily reach the young tree to nibble and strip the buds.

In order to raise awareness of this problem, we have constructed a 100 square meter deer enclosure on the McCulloch property. A deer enclosure is a fence built to keep deer out, so that saplings can sprout up and grow. It is a useful tool to help increase young forest growth as well as to educate and show the effects of overbrowsing in our Vermont woods. 

A snow-covered forest with a wire fence and colorful ribbons tied to trees.
Flagging is added to the fence to make the chicken wire visible to wildlife
A person using a post hole digger in the woods with a stool nearby.
Putting posts into the ground 

What to Expect

Over the next few growing seasons, we expect to see an increase in number of young saplings inside the deer enclosure versus outside. The saplings inside the deer enclosure will be more mature and larger in size compared to any saplings growing outside the enclosure. 

A cut tree stump surrounded by fallen leaves with a small, vibrant green sapling growing beside it.
Young maple sapling in the deer enclosure - 2021
A young tree sprouting among fallen leaves in a sun-dappled forest with trees marked by red flags.
Inside the deer enclosure - 2021
Deer enclosures are easy to construct, don't require a lot of materials, and are directly beneficial to VT forests. Feel free to reach out if you have any questions, or for more information on how to construct one. We are here to help!