A bright but chilly fall morning saw DLC volunteers gathered at the Jesse & Gayle Bontecou Wildlife Conservation Preserve in Stanford for an experiment in forest restoration. The goal was to install deer exclosure fencing designed specifically to keep deer away from a predetermined section of the forest. Deer love to munch on native seedlings. This inhibits the growth of native trees in our forests and sets the stage for non-native plants to flourish. Installing deer exclosure fencing prevents deer from reaching a portion of the forest and allows it time to recover from both deer overbrowsing and the growth of invasive plants. DLC Volunteers strung wire and fencing across the designated area and connected the fencing together to completely enclose the plot of forest. We are extremely grateful for their hard work and hope to welcome them back to the preserve soon as we use this section of the forest as a living laboratory in forest recovery efforts.
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