Study: Deer grazing significantly impacts local ecosystem; smaller herd could help

RHINELANDER - A new study shows deer eating habits have led to a huge shift in the plant community in Wisconsin.

The study compared plant life inside and outside of deer exclosures. They're fenced in areas to prevent deer from eating plants inside.

UW Professor of Botany Don Waller was part of the research article. The study found that plant species that benefitted from protection, inside of exclosures, tended to be the species that have declined since 1950. He says it is typically difficult to find a direct correlation for why a plant species declines because of the ever changing factors in our ecosystem.

Full story: WJFW

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