Background/Question/Methods Excessive white-tailed deer browsing reduces the diversity and productivity of urban forest understory and associated ecosystem services that generate community well-being. Human activities have diminished apex predators that would naturally help to control deer populations. Human hunting is an alternative form of trophic control with potential to restore native vegetation. We employed deer exclosures within an ~45-ha area of urban forest at the Indiana Research and Teaching Preserve (Bloomington, IN) to determine whether municipal deer culling reduced herbivore pressure sufficiently for restoration of native understory. Plantings of native perennial species were established in deer-exclosed and unexclosed plots in lowland, mid-slope and upland areas in October 2018, approximately one year after a city-sponsored deer cull. Planted species included grasses and forbs of both high and low palatability to deer, and composition differed by topographic position to suit environmental conditions. To assess herbivore pressure, data on presence-absence of planted species has been collected every spring and fall since the experiment was established. If deer culling is effective, herbivore pressure between exclosed and unexclosed plots should be similar. Results/Conclusions Results collected to date indicate that herbivore pressure was only ~20% higher in unexclosed plots. Herbivores did not selectively feed on a particular type of plant or graze more heavily in a particular location. These data suggest that deer culling efforts thus far may be effective in promoting the success of native restoration plantings. Repeated culling may be necessary to promote long-term native plant recovery. A second cull occurred in November 2020, and ongoing data collection will provide insights on the efficacy of repeated culling and measure recovery over a longer period of time.
