White-tailed Deer on a Barrier Island: Implications for Preserving an Ecologically Important Maritime Forest
The white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) population on Bald Head Island has increased, threatening a unique maritime forest in southeastern North Carolina. Bald Head Island is ~620 ha and is characterized by live oak (Quercus virginiana) maritime forest, dunes, tidal marsh, and urban development. Preservation of maritime forest is important for barrier island conservation. Maritime forests are important coastal habitats that are under significant threat from development, and in the absence of reproductive controls, white-tailed deer can negatively impact ecosystems through over-...
