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Roe Deer Browsing Concentrated on Bark-Beetle Disturbance Sites

Male roe deer standing among tall grass and shrubs
Research · Ecology

A large field survey in the southern Black Forest, Germany, found that roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) browsing was generally heavier on salvage-logged forest disturbance sites than in neighbouring intact forest. The strongest pressure on young trees occurred close to the temporary edge between the open disturbance and the remaining forest.

The researchers studied 137 disturbance sites in spring 2024 or 2025. Each site was paired with adjacent intact forest no more than 200 metres away. Five circular 10 m² plots were surveyed on the open disturbance and five in the neighbouring forest, giving 1,370 plots and more than 28,000 sampled woody plants.

Browsing was measured from shoots on individual plants

For each sampled plant, the researchers recorded how many of its highest shoots had been browsed by roe deer. Browsing intensity was the proportion of up to ten of these shoots that showed feeding damage. A value of 36%, for example, means that roughly a little over one-third of the assessed shoots had been browsed.

For young trees, the team also recorded whether the leading shoot — the main upward-growing shoot — had been eaten. Damage to this shoot can slow height growth and alter tree form, so repeated leading-shoot browsing can influence which tree species successfully establish during forest regeneration.

Young trees were browsed most strongly near the forest edge

Both overall browsing and leading-shoot browsing on young trees were highest on the open disturbance sites close to the forest edge and declined farther out into the open area. Inside intact forest, the pattern for young trees was reversed: browsing was lowest close to the same edge.

The edge effect was especially pronounced for leading-shoot damage. Shrub browsing also tended to be strongest around the forest edge, although unlike the trees it declined with distance on both sides of the boundary.

Sycamore maple had the highest overall browsing intensity on disturbance sites, at about 36%, while Norway spruce was browsed least. Leading-shoot damage was more frequent on the disturbance sites for all five tree species included in that comparison.

Alternative forage changed the pressure on young trees

Local vegetation composition also influenced which individual plants were browsed. Where many young trees or attractive alternative foods such as bramble were available, browsing on some individual woody plants was reduced. The authors interpret this partly as a dilution or distraction effect: if many attractive plants are available, feeding pressure is spread across more possible food items.

By contrast, a high proportion of less-preferred forage such as grasses was associated with heavier browsing on some woody species. In such patches, the relatively palatable tree and shrub shoots may stand out more strongly as food.

Hiding cover and indicators of human disturbance did not have a strong, consistent effect on browsing on the open disturbance sites. The study also did not measure roe deer density, so the browsing patterns show where feeding damage was concentrated rather than where deer numbers themselves were necessarily highest.

Open regeneration near forest edges was especially exposed

The authors conclude that large forest disturbances can redistribute browsing pressure onto young regeneration, especially near newly created forest edges. Although natural succession was not completely prevented in the study area, repeated damage to leading shoots can slow regeneration and influence future tree-species composition.

Where deer impacts are stronger than in this study, the authors suggest that fencing or protection of individual young trees may be particularly useful near forest edges and where attractive alternative forage is scarce.

Sources and image credit

  1. Schwegmann, S., Jüngling, H., Tadeus, M.-H., Storch, I., & Kröschel, M. (2026). Herbivory after calamity – Patterns and drivers of roe deer browsing on bark beetle induced disturbance sites. Forest Ecology and Management, 617, 123904. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2026.123904Primary open-access field study covering 137 disturbance sites and adjacent intact forest stands in the southern Black Forest, Germany; available online 19 May 2026.

Image: Gouwenaar / Wikimedia Commons — male roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) among tall vegetation; representative species image; cropped to 16:9 · CC BY-SA 3.0 — https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/ · Source

About this content: This story was produced with AI assistance within an editorial workflow developed by Wildlife Vagabond. Editorial responsibility remains with Wildlife Vagabond.How AI is used

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