Policy Brief: Deer Herd Management

In some areas of Vermont, excessively high numbers of deer or moose cause serious browsing damage to young trees and other low forest vegetation. The resulting damage not only retards the growth of future wood products, but also promotes the establishment and expansion of invasive plant populations, and can be severe enough to alter the species composition of our forests, now and into the future. With an increase in tick-borne diseases, and with deer being one of several principal tick hosts, abnormally high populations of deer may pose threats to human health and safety. The Vermont Woodlands Association urges the Vermont Department of Fish & Wildlife to limit excessive numbers of deer and moose in over-browsed areas so as not to negatively impact the ecological function and integrity of Vermont’s forested natural communities.

Adopted by the Board of Directors on Friday August 19, 2011.