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Is Quality Deer Management Right for my Tree Farm?

Is Quality Deer Management Right for my Tree Farm?

2013 National Tree Farmer Convention - Quality Deer Management Concurrent Session

A beautiful white tailed buck steps through the autumn forest in Indiana

By: Matt Ross, QDMA

Most veteran [agricultural] farmers wouldn’t even consider planting a crop of soybeans or corn without taking every possible measure and precaution to ensure maximum nutrient uptake and forage production. Chores such as properly calibrating the seeding rate, applying fertilizer at the most opportune times and eradicating competing weeds are obvious steps toward achieving cash-crop-bliss. As most Tree Farmers already realize, a forest needs similar care and maintenance during its lifetime to produce a high-quality product.

When a new stand of trees is first established, 4,000 or more seedlings may be found growing on a single acre. Now, fast forward 150 to 200 years; we know that Nature will eventually thin this same 1-acre stand over and over again to fewer than 100 healthy, mature trees. That’s where we come in. As Tree "Farmers", we are there to help see that "crop" reach its maximum potential, all the while under a watchful and caring eye. However, sustainable timber management, in addition to literally shaving years off the aforementioned time-table while at the same time producing income for the landowner, can also be the major driver of habitat quality for wildlife throughout a property. And, let’s face it, most forest landowners, particularly Tree Farmers, are also wildlife enthusiasts at heart. Most recreate on their property because of the presence of wildlife, and many do so specifically to hunt big and/or small game with friends or family. It’s core to the American tradition of owning rural land. That’s why fully integrating forest and wildlife management values and prescriptions is of critical importance, but unfortunately rarely practiced.

As tree aficionados, we often only have the experience and/or training to "see the forest for the trees", per say; and, for many interested in the management of white-tailed deer as an additional focus of their Tree Farm, there is much to be learned. So, exactly how can you manage a healthy forest and deer population at the same time?

I will be giving a presentation at the 2013 National Tree Farmer Convention on this topic, and specifically will discuss sustainable forest management as it relates to even and uneven-aged silvicultural techniques, how to integrate both forest and deer management prescriptions and values, as well as how managing hardwood and coniferous stands of trees may differ when considering a Quality Deer Management (QDM) program.

Matthew Ross from the Quality Deer Management Association is leading a
concurrent session at the 2013 Tree Farmer Convention and will give you the timber management tools and techniques you need to encourage white tail deer to call your woods home.


Click here to check out all of our concurrent sessions.


The 20th Annual National Tree Farmer Convention Logo features a common loon, the state bird of Minnesota