Deer damage;Ninewells Wood

Tags

Catbrook wood, Deer Damage, deer in Catbrook wood, Ninewells Wood, Ninewells Wood species list, Species seen at Catbrook Wood, Welsh woodland

Well the deer have been into the wood, I have seen their footprints and there are lots of regenerating trees which have been nibbled down. The footprints seem quite large to me so I am guessing that they are probably Fallow deer but they could also be Roe deer.

Silver Birch

They seem to go for the Silver Birch predominantly but have also had a go at the Oak, the Rowan and the Beech. Unfortunately I have not seen any evidence of them having a nibble at the young bramble. Bramble is supposed to be quite tasty, in Watership Down the main rabbit character was called Bramble which is a reference to the fact that rabbits like to eat brambles. So why not Deer as well?

I do not think the intensity of browsing is too great and I expect and hope that the trees will get the better of the deer and will eventually get above their reach and from then on they will be able to grow unhindered.  We will see.

 

 

Oak

So far I have not seen any droppings so I do not think they remain on site too long, which is a good thing, I can live with the occasional visit but a resident herd would not be welcome. I do like venison so be warned.

Rowan

Unfortunately they have not had a go at the rapidly regenerating Rhododendron and Laurel. However this has now been considerably reduced as the ‘Brash man’ grubbed most of it out when he was scrapping up the brash.

 

 

Rhododendron

I am a bit concerned that when replanting starts and the little trees start to develop that the site does not turn into the local deer’s snack bar.