Penn State Extension Hosting Deer Impact Summit

February 18, 2021 

Penn State Extension to host deer impact assessment, mitigation webinar series

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — A new three-session webinar series offered by Penn State Extension provides a roundup of current information and strategies to help natural resource managers understand, assess, and manage deer impact in forested systems.

The “Deer Impact Assessment and Mitigation Summit,” slated for March 25, March 30, and April 1, successively builds content to help attendees frame and understand the issue of deer impact, accurately assess that impact, and use assessment information to strategize management actions on the landscape. Each session runs from noon-2 p.m., incorporating three or four different presentations and at least a 30-minute facilitated question-and-answer period with all speakers.

Sessions will be led by experts from Penn State Extension and feature speakers from the USDA Forest Service, the Pennsylvania Game Commission, the Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Penn State, Cornell University, Harvard University, and the National Deer Association.

This program has been approved for professional development credits by three organizations:  the Society of American Foresters (six Category 1 credits, Certified Forester Program); The Wildlife Society (six Category 1 credits, Certified Wildlife Biologist Program); and the PA Sustainable Forestry Initiative (2 years of continuing education units).

Recordings of each session will be shared with all attendees, but professional development credits are available for live attendance only. To register and for full program information, visit https://extension.psu.edu/deer-impact-assessment-and-mitigation-summit.

The program outline is as follows:

--March 25: “Understanding Deer, Deer Impact Issues, and Deer Management.” Experts will discuss the context for current conditions regarding deer and deer impact in the region; how we got to where we are today; how deer impact and interact with the landscape; and current trends, issues, and management approaches.

--March 30: “Assessing and Measuring Deer Impact in the Landscape.” Experts will discuss practical strategies and indicators for evaluating, measuring, and classifying levels of deer impact to inform management planning; and how managers may select appropriate evaluation strategies, differentiate levels of impact in standardized ways, and incorporate long-term impact assessment in management planning.

--April 1: “Mitigating Deer Impact in Natural Resource Management Approaches.” Experts will discuss considerations for planning practical deer impact mitigation strategies once existing or potential impact is determined to be significant through assessment; how landscape-scale context factors in to current and expected future deer impact; how exclosures may be most efficiently used to minimize deer impact in certain areas and over time; and how multiple mitigation approaches can be combined within a broader management plan across multiple areas and over time.