In 2001, while working with the students for Cowitchin Lake Secondary School, it was noted that these was no observed regeneration of the mature Douglas fir. Speculation suggested that deer may be responsible for browsing seedlings. Evening drives between Ganges and Fulford Harbour we had seen as many as 35 deer. We thought that keeping deer away from a plot under the firs might result in seedling growth.
We constructed a pen 10' by 10' by 7 ' high made from 6 inch rebar mesh sheets with a top cover of the same material. We labled the area a deed exclusion area and described the study. Over the past 14 years we have observed the enclosure and recorded regeneration of a number of plants, including fir seedlings that had not been seen before. This is ongoing study.
We constructed a pen 10' by 10' by 7 ' high made from 6 inch rebar mesh sheets with a top cover of the same material. We labled the area a deed exclusion area and described the study. Over the past 14 years we have observed the enclosure and recorded regeneration of a number of plants, including fir seedlings that had not been seen before. This is ongoing study.