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RESEARCH ARTICLE
Contents Vol 32(4)

High-intensity deer culling increases growth of mountain beech seedlings in New Zealand

Sean W. Husheer A B C and Alastair W. Robertson A
+ Author Affiliations
- Author Affiliations

A Ecology Group, Institute of Natural Resources, Massey University, Private Bag 11222, Palmerston North, New Zealand.

B New Zealand Forest Surveys, 15 McElwee Street, Jervoistown, Napier, New Zealand.

C Corresponding author. Email: shusheer@clear.net.nz

Wildlife Research 32(4) 273-280 https://doi.org/10.1071/WR04006
Submitted: 22 January 2004  Accepted: 8 November 2004   Published: 5 July 2005

Abstract

Browsing of mountain beech seedlings by introduced deer in the central North Island of New Zealand appears to have inhibited canopy regeneration over large areas. In 1998, a trial of high-, medium- and low-intensity deer-culling treatments was initiated in Kaimanawa and Kaweka Forest Parks to test whether mountain beech (Nothofagus solandri var. cliffortioides) forest regeneration could be restored by removing deer. Paired exclosure plots (one plot fenced to exclude deer and the other unfenced) were established within a high-intensity culling area, to monitor the benefits of recreational, commercial and aerial deer culling. Paired plots were also established within low- and medium-intensity culling areas. Medium-intensity culling was allowed through recreational and commercial deer culling. In two low-intensity culling treatment areas, deer management remained substantially unaltered. Annual relative growth rates of tagged seedlings from spring 1998 to spring 2001 from low-, medium- and high-intensity culling areas provide strong evidence that mountain beech seedling growth increases once browsing by deer is removed through fencing. Faecal pellet data indicated that high-intensity deer culling reduced deer abundance by 67% in comparison to medium- and low-intensity culling areas. This apparent reduction in deer abundance appears to have led to a doubling in mountain beech seedling growth in the high-intensity culling area outside fences, in comparison to low- and medium-intensity deer culling areas where there was little or no evidence of benefits for seedling growth.


Acknowledgments

We thank the many Department of Conservation permanent staff, contractors and fieldworkers who collected and processed data for this study, and helped with deer culling, transport, analysis and graphics. Colin Taylor deserves special thanks for being the steadfast force behind fieldwork and data entry in Kaweka Forest Park. Steve Deverell was always willing to help ensure that work went smoothly in Kaimanawa Forest Park. Reviews, comments and discussion from Clare Veltman, Chris Ward, Rob Allen, Helen O’Leary, Steve Deverell, Colin Taylor, Ian Westbrooke, Greg Sherley, Rod Hay, Ian Henderson, Chris Frampton and two anonymous reviewers helped to improve earlier drafts of this paper. Study area maps were prepared by the drafting division, Department of Conservation Wanganui. The New Zealand Department of Conservation Science and Research Unit funded this paper (Investigation 2493).


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1 Nomenclature follows Parsons et al. (1995). Coprosma ‘taylorae’ is referred to by Eagle (1986) and Phyllocladus alpinus by Wilson and Galloway (1993).

2 In New Zealand, the term ‘deer culling’ has been used for over five decades to describe widespread deer-hunting operations aimed at density reductions (e.g. Crump 1960; Bennet 1973; Caughley 1983).