The Potomac Highlands Watershed School 

Oh Deer!" 2009 Environmental Forum

 

Points of View with Thoughtful Questions

Foresters

 

Foresters POV & TQ Navigation

  Hampshire Foresters    The Mighty Oak  SUPER FORESTER    bghsForesters  Forest Livin' 

The Tree Huggers   

Navigation to other POV pages

farmer, hunter, forest, forester, homeowner, insurance company, Others

 

POV

Hampshire Foresters Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                            10/16/2009

  We the Hampshire foresters have a view on the white tail deer population in West Virginia.

We believe that the population should be cut down a little below half and then let them

repopulate over the next five years. But, then again we could just let nature take its course in

its own way. But, if we did that we wouldn’t have any forest left for  the generations to come. 

We need to find a solution that is humanine and not that cruel to the animals. In this effect we

could tranqulize some of the deer population and ship them out over the United States, but if

we did that we could be making a huge problem for someone else.  So what are we to do about

the deer population in West Virginia? That is a question that could be answered in time or by a

person who would take this problem into their own hands and just do what they think is right.  In

 the sequence of events we could sterlize the bucks of the deer population and do that ever

couple years to keep the population down and still save the forest.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Deer Huggers! - Other Stakeholder - NHHS

              Statement                                                                11/3/2009           12:37:00 PM

     I don't understand what you mean, this is not even probable. the cost for traqnuilizers

     would exeed the funding and even the value of actually exporting the deer. Also, no

     other country would support the deer being brought to their countries and tearing apart

     their ecosystems like ti had to the United States.This is highly unprobable and doesn't

     make any sense.

       Response    Hampshire Foresters - forester - HHS

                                                                                       11/5/2009        9:59:00 AM

             Well my friend please let me know if you come up with a better idea. I thought

             about that solutiion for a little while and then i thought about what you just

             posted so i already knew what you were gonna say and you dont have to be a rude

              person and say my solution makes no sense i just threw an idea out there, i didnt

             really think about it until i posted it so if you come up with a beter plan please let

              me know so i can thank you for the help with the deer problem.

  From:   Students with Solutions - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/2/2009              1:01:00 PM

     First off how are you going to cut down the deer population? And why would you cut

      down the population and let it rebuild over 5 years. Maybe the deer problem isn't

     with us now but in 5 years it will be the same or even worse than it was before. How

     do you know that people in other states want deer? Sterilizing the deer population

     every 5 years would be very costly and pointless if we just let the population build

     back up.

       Response    Hampshire Foresters - forester - HHS

                                                                                       11/5/2009        9:54:00 AM

             Well, I have already explained how we are doing to cut down the population..go

             back and read the p.o.v again and you will figure it out. Well, in 5 years we will

             figure out what to do again. Just about every state has deer so it doesn't matter

             if the other states want them or not, regardless they have them.

 

  From:   bambi busters - hunter - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/28/2009           11:29:00 AM

     How will you steralise the bucks.  how will you make sure all the bucks are steral

 

  From:   Donkey Farmers - farmer - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:24:00 AM

     What problems would our American Deer cause in other countries as invasive

     species?

       Response    Hampshire Foresters - forester - HHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     9:00:00 AM

             Thats a very good question. When I figure out the answer to that I will be sure

             to let you know.

 

  From:   SUPER FORESTER - forester - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:22:00 AM

     What does the POV have to do with being a forester?

       Response    Hampshire Foresters - forester - HHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     8:52:00 AM

             Well Super Forester it deals alot with being a forester. Foresters are looking out

              for the weel-being of the forest. Thats how it has something to do with being a

             forester.

 

  From:   JJCFARM - farmer - BGHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009             9:11:00 AM

     How will you steralise the bucks.  how will you make sure all the bucks are steral

       Response    Hampshire Foresters - forester - HHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     9:05:00 AM

             In a process of sterlizing the bucks, we could capture ten to fifften bucks at a

             time and start to castrate them. Then, place a tracker on their ear or underneath

             the skin of their neck.

 

  From:   Deer Huggers! - Other Stakeholder - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            8:02:00 AM

     How are you going to tranquilize hundreds of deer at a time? This could take months

      or maybe even years to complete. You are right in saying that it we would be giving

     some other country our overpopulation problem. You would also be giving another

     country an invasive species that would most likely destroy that country’s ecosystem.

     Please rethink your solution to the deer population problem.

       Response    Hampshire Foresters - forester - HHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     8:56:00 AM

             Well we can hire people to go out and help with the tranquilizing. It may take a

             while, but it can be done over time. It might destroy another countries

             ecosystem, but there is no probable cause to whether it will or not. Rethinking

             the solution could help, but the solution that we have no is good enough.

 

 

POV

The Mighty Oak   Hampshire H.S.

                                                                                                                            10/16/2009

Why deer are slowly destroying our forests.
Recent research has shed light in the fact that the growing deer population is slowly killing off our forests. The population has swelled in recent years, causing the deer to expand their grazing area in the forests. This population increase must be stopped in order to save the ecology and other animals of the West Virginia forests. The easiest solution to this problem s to extend the hunting season by an extra 1-2 months. This extended hunting season will benefit the forests and people of West Virginia. The main advantage will be the stabilization of the deer population. Since West Virginia is a state full of hunters it will be very easy to encourage people to go out and hunt more deer. This will also greatly help out the enviorment because there will be less dear grazing on the grass and shrubs of the forests. This decrease in population will finally allow the native ecology to recover at a more rapid pace than it can now. This solution will also allow us to improve the ability of the forests  to re-grow. Because there will be less deer around to destroy the native ecology, the ground will be able to hold more nutrients, leading to the reintroduction of native wildlife. This solution will also decrease the amount of illegal hunting in the state. Since the season would be longer the need to hunt out of season would be greatly decreased, saving us the unnecessary task of guessing how many deer would be killed in an illegal manner  each year. This is our best solution to the problem, for if we don’t do anything now we are extremely likely  to lose large parts of our forests. Also because of recent studies, if we don’t do anything soon we are likely to have to confront this problem later when the population has swelled to numbers out of our control.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Simply for Nature - Other Stakeholder - SCHS

              Statement                                                                11/6/2009           10:55:00 AM

     Well I do agree on the extending the hunting season because that might be helpful.

     However, I don’t quite know how West Virginia deals with this, but it may not be just

     deer destroying the forest. Who’s to say it’s not the fact that they’re logging or building

     and forcing the deer into smaller areas. Obviously they’ll eat everything in that forest

     because there’s no where else to go to. Killing more deer may be necessary but, only if

     you’ll use them for something. I truly hate when I see deer just laying there dead

     because the hunter goes out just to shoot something. That really bothers me. Do it, yes,

            but only if it’s going towards food or something of that sort.

 

       Response    The Mighty Oak - forester - HHS

                                                                                       11/12/2009      2:10:00 PM

             I agree with you the deer that are killed shoud be used for something rather than

              just killing them and leaving them out in the forest to rot

 

  From:   SUPER FORESTER - forester - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:25:00 AM

     Why would it be better to extend the hunting season by one or twom months instead

     of just increasing the bag limit?

       Response    The Mighty Oak - forester - HHS

                                                                                       11/5/2009        1:56:00 PM

             Because people are likely to lie about the size of their bag if we just entend the

             hunting season there will be no reason for a increase in bag size because the

             people can just hunt when they want to

 

  From:   JJCFARM - farmer - BGHS

              Statement                                                             10/26/2009             9:14:00 AM

            i think extending hunting season is a good idea.  killing more deer is necessary

 

POV

SUPER FORESTER North Harford H.S

                                                                                                                           10/20/2009

The deer population has greatly affected the forestry industry in many ways. The problems we

have with the deer are that they are trampling the smaller trees which then are not growing into

 the timber we want. They are taking out species of trees that we could get more money for.

The study in Yellowstone showed that they were taking out poplar and cottonwood seedlings.

The deer are threatening the likely hood of the diverse trees to survive. There are many

possible solutions to solve this problem but the solutions will take money which some people are

not risking giving up. If the people risk just a little money to regulate the deer population and

help save the understory where birds and many other animals live than many endangered

species will be saved and it will allow young trees to grow and develop. By selective foraging,

deer affect the growth and survival of many species, modifying patterns of relative abundance

 and vegetation dynamics. Spreading the effects on other species extend to insects, birds, and

other mammals. In forests, over browsing reduces plant cover and diversity for the several

species listed above, and hinders the future growth of the over story.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Hampshire Foresters - forester - HHS

              Ask                                                                      10/29/2009            8:55:00 AM

     If people did give some funds, what are some of your solution ideas?

 

  From:   we're deer - Other Stakeholder - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009             9:41:00 AM

     what if they are eating invasive species too

       Response    SUPER FORESTER - forester - NHHS

                                                                                       10/28/2009     10:58:00 AM

             most invasive species were brought to america to create natural barriers and

             keep animals away such as multi flora rose if you can think of a species that is

             bad that the deer eat we would love to know about it??

 

  From:   bambi busters - hunter - NHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/26/2009            9:27:00 AM

            what about other species

  From:   JJCFARM - farmer - BGHS

              Statement                                                             10/26/2009             9:17:00 AM

     small trees are very important.  animals live on the forest floor

 

 

POV

bghsForesters- Buffalo Gap HS

                                                                                                                           10/23/2009

  Foresters manage the people and animals with things relating to the forested aeras. Deer hunting is important because they can over populate the forest. If we let deer over populate, the number of car accidents will continue to rise. They can also carry diseases that can be dangerous to humans and other wild life; like C.W.D. Rabies and Lime Dieseases. If deer get too populated they will run other species, like turkeies, out by eating all the food.

  Foresters really don't mind deer or people hunting them. The deer population need to be maintained, therefore, hunting isn't a bad thing. Excessive hunting can lead to trouble also; we need deer in the ecosystem.   

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   Where my home is at ! - Other Stakeholder - HHS

              Ask                                                                      10/29/2009            8:54:00 AM

     You say that we should shoot the deer because they are over populated, but humans are

     over populated too so does that mean that the deer can grab guns and start shooting us? 

     We should be more worried about our population...for instance, girls in high  school and

     some even below 9th grade are getting pregnant when they sholdnt be, so why dont we

     start worring about our population before you worry about the animals population!!!

  From:   W.P.C.S. (Wildlife Population Control Specialists) - hunter - EHHS

              Ask                                                                      10/29/2009             7:41:00 AM

     What kinds of things do you mean when you say "foresters manage the people and

     animals with things relating to the forested areas?"

 

POV

Forest Livin'- Jefferson H.S

                                                                                                                              11/9/2009

We have many problems with deer in the forests, which as being foresters this is affecting our

 income. Deer are becoming over populated and our killing more and more of our trees which

are giving us a very limited amount of trees for lumber. They trample over seedlings not giving

them the chance to grow. They also rub there antlers against the trees which tends to kill the

older trees.  The over population of the deer are eating out the sources of food for not only

deer but other wildlife. In this case something needs to be done. In my opinion we should give

hunters less bow season days and more guns season days, because more hunters shoot deer and

are more successful with guns than bows. This in return should help lower the deer population

and help some of the forest problems. With the deer killing most of our trees also make it hard

for the other wildlife to survive, and with this it messes up the food chain and could make

things turn out horrible for the forest.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

  From:   CI Moderator

              Ask                                                                       11/14/2009             2:36:00 PM

     It sounds like deer are a big problem for your group.  Are you foresting on a tree farm

     or in the wild?  If you are on a farm, can’t the owner get a special hunting permit like

     other farmers do?  One of the reasons for limiting the hunting season is to reduce the

     chance of shooting accidents.  As a forester, aren’t you worried about people shooting

     in the woods where you work?

 

 

POV

The Tree Huggers- Kemps Landing Magnet S. 6th grade

                                                                                                                            11/10/2009

My fellow stake holders I think the deer need to stop destroying the forest.  Deer have

four chamber stomachs and are herbivores.  These deer eat saplings and plants in the

forest.  This cause for deforestation.  These areas cannot grow back if the deer keep

roaming there.  Counts have been taken and the deer population is about 67 deer per

square mile.  In order for a forest to reflourish the deer population has to be about 20

deer per square mile.  The deer population is too high and is increasing. My thoughts are

there are no organisms competing with this species of deer.  One solution that could be

tried is to have a large hunting season.  This solution would benefit the hunters, Game

Agencies, home owners, farmers and us the environmentalist.  Hunting can affect the trees

 because it can lower the deer population and give trees more time to re-grow and flourish.

We would have to give up hunting some other animals in return. There should still be

restricted numbers of animal kills, especially for deer.

 

  For a few days now we have been studying how the deer population affects the forest.

The deer population has been eating the little saplings and has been not letting them grow.

It is not just hurting the trees, It is hurting all of the wildlife, including the deer. Plants

give us oxygen and give people and animals food. If they are gone, all organisms will die.

They will lose their habitats and food. They will hurt the community and upset the food

web. Some species will even die out. As stakeholders for the ecosystem, my group and I

must face these environmental issues. This species is threatening our forests and our

homes. My solution to this problem is to have a longer hunting season to keep the deer

population in check. Also, we could make deer exclusion fences. That way the trees can

grow back and the deer population is kept under control and good management.

 

Deer eat whatever is available to them, and will not move to where food is more plentiful.

Compared to their size, deer don’t eat that much. If a deer weighs 100 pounds, they eat 5

to 8 pounds a day. When it is thought deer are grazers, they aren’t, and they barley eat

grass at all. They are very particular in what foods they eat-in fact; most vegetation

growing in the forest is not deer food. They eat woody plants, plants, mushrooms, forbs,

nuts, wild grasses, fruits, farm crops, and drink water. The foods available to deer and

how much they eat of it vary throughout the year.

 BIBLIOGRAPHY:

Impacts of White-Tailed Deer Overabundance in Forest Ecosystems: An Overview

Thomas J. Rawinski

Northeastern Area State and Private Forestry

Forest Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture

Newtown Square, PA

June 2008

 

"White Tialed ." 29 october 2009. wikipedia. 30 october 2009

<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/White-tailed_deer>.

"Science News." 1 September 2009. Science Daily. 30 October 2009

<http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090830103124.htm>.

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions

 

 

POV

  From:   CI Moderator

              Ask                                                                       11/14/2009             2:59:00 PM

     As environmentalists representing the trees, you sure cover the key points.  You mention

     a couple solutions but worry the solution could go too far or be too expensive.  In

     addition to the hunters, who are “the other groups” you want to participate in helping? 

     Who would help cover the cost of your effort the change the deer’s food source?  Who

     would help keep the hunters from getting “out of control”?

 

 

Ask a Thoughtful Question or Respond


Thoughtful Questions