Impacts of electronic deer exclusion fencing and soils on plant species abundance, richness, and diversity following clearcutting in Pennsylvania

Electric deer exclusion fencing has become a widely used management tool to promote hardwood regeneration in high deer browsing intensity areas. To assess the impacts of deer browsing on hardwood regeneration and vegetation patterns on clearcuts, six clearcuts with paired electric fenced and unfenced treatments were investigated. Additional data were collected on 10 sites with only fenced clearcut treatments. Overall browse damage on fenced treatments was lower than unfenced treatments, but there were substantial species-specific variability. The vegetation patterns on clearcuts were strongly influenced by pre-harvest ground covers of herbaccuus and woody species. Comparisons between fenced and unfenced treatments showed that species richness was not significantly different for any site and that woody species diversity (Shannon Index) was significantly higher on a fenced versus unfenced clearcut on only one site. Observed vegetation patterns may also be influenced by soil nutrient and acidity status. Species richness was significantly related to exchangeable Ca and Al levels in the subsoil and organic horizon pH.