Deer prevent severe canopy fires, save oak trees and store carbon

The latest innovation in wildfire prevention may come from an unlikely place: a new study has found that wild deer may play a key role in mitigating severe wildfires

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Photo: Miguel Bugalho

While deer may impact tree regeneration, they can also help prevent the spread of severe wildfires. Given increased likelihood of extreme climatic events, such as droughts, University of Lisbon’s Miguel Bugalho explains how we need to consider both the positive and negative effects of wild ungulate grazing.

More information about how grazing by wild deer may improve the health of forest ecosystems can be found on the British Ecology Society blog.

Read the study here