The report also warns that, “For the first time in 200 years, every state in New England is losing forest,” a result of human activities such as development, attacks by invasive insects, deer over-population, and the impact of climate change. .Elizabeth Farnsworth, the society’s senior research ecologist and the author of the report, said Connecticut’s and New England’s massive deer population is a major contributor to the loss of forest because deer browse on young seedlings.
Dr. Georgina Scholl, Vice Chairman of the Alliance, stated “Residents have forgotten that it is not normal to look through the forest and see the rise and fall of our topography hundreds of feet out. The shrubs and saplings that once comprised the leafy understory used to block your view. Today, such lower areas look more like manicured parklands”.
With each deer consuming approximately 10 pounds of vegetation each day, the forest cannot regenerate its vegetation fast enough to support 60+ deer per square mile.