What's at Risk

When deer populations grow beyond what the land can sustain, the imbalance reaches far beyond the forest. All of nature is affected: The health of the deer themselves declines, and the wild systems that connect us—forests, meadows, water, and wildlife—begin to unravel. As humans, we have an ecological role to play in restoring these systems to function as they once did. The deer overpopulation crisis is one that humans created. And it's one that humans have a responsibility to solve.

Deer

Overabundant deer populations devastate their own food sources, increasing competition, nutritional stress, and eventual starvation within herds.

Due to high population densities, deer herd health and surrounding habitat quality are both strained. Caring for the health and welfare of individual deer requires caring for the health of the whole ecosystem.

A deer crossing a road in front of a car.

Humans

Weakened forest biodiversity translates to an increased risk of disease spillover to human communities. Already, we are seeing a dramatic rise in tick-borne pathogens in New York state forests.

Overabundant deer also pose direct safety risks to rural and suburban drivers. In New York state alone, there are more than 60,000 vehicle-deer collisions annually.

Deer damage to crops amounts to millions of dollars in losses every year.

Forests

Deer overpopulation is a major driver of forest degradation, as deer consume young trees and plants. This means that forests can't regrow and mature trees will not be replaced after they die.

Overbrowsing by deer also decimates a range of native plants, leaving once-diverse forest understories barren. These forests are now more vulnerable to degradation—not to mention a lack of aesthetic beauty.

Meadows

Overbrowsing by deer selectively removes palatable native plants and reduces vital habitat for pollinators. These shifting ecological conditions over time reduce overall plant diversity.

Waterways

The invasive plants and earthworms that thrive as a result of white-tailed deer overpopulation can deplete leaf litter that serves as a protective layer against erosion during heavy rainfall.

Deer-driven erosion of exposed forest soils can pollute public water sources, like the Catskill and Delaware watersheds that much of New York City’s water supply depends on.

Deer overpopulation alongside streams and rivers can also diminish habitat availability for insects that fish rely on as a major food source.

This healthy forest has lots of plants in different stages of growth, meaning that it can successfully regenerate.

A forest that is overgrazed, with a deer exclosure being built.

This forest has almost no new plant growth, in part because of overgrazing by deer. This forest cannot regenerate in its current state. A deer exclosure is being built to help new plant growth.

Other Wildlife

By suppressing native plants, overabundant white-tailed deer deplete food for insects and songbirds already facing widespread population declines.

Non-native earthworms thrive alongside white-tailed deer. These worms break down leaf litter, reducing native invertebrate numbers. This, in turn, leads to population collapses among the salamanders and ground-nesting birds that feed on them.

Active forest management to create healthy habitat for wildlife like ruffed grouse will fail without first addressing deer overabundance.