Deer Habitat on the Ocala National Forest: Improvement Through Forest Management
Abstract Because of a presumed decline in the white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) herd on the Ocala National Forest in central Florida, mast and available forage were assessed in the forest's two major habitats: sand pine-scrub oak (SP-SO) and longleaf pine-turkey oak (LLP-TO). Deer food was most abundant in young stands of SP-SO and LLP-TO and least abundant in 25- to 40-year-old stands of SP-SO and mature stands of turkey oak. Phosphorus was much lower in simulated diets from all SP-SO stands than the dietary requirement thought necessary for adult deer, perhaps partially accounting for the low reproductive rate on the forest. Availability of deer food can be increased in SP-SO habitat by thinning closed-canopy stands more than 30 years old and, in LLP-TO habitat, by prescribed burning of longleaf pine stands at least once every three years and by removing low-mast producers from mature stands of turkey oak.