For the second consecutive year, the Office of the Duke Forest will participate in N.C. Wildlife Resources Commission's Deer Management Assistance Program for the 2009 hunting season.

The program will begin Monday and continue until Friday, Dec. 18. Sections of the forest will be closed during hunting, which will be conducted by two pre-selected groups. Hunting will not be open to the public.

"Over the years the deer population in the area has become exceptionally high. Reducing those numbers to sustainable levels for both the health of the deer and the forest will take repeated efforts," said Judson Edeburn, the forest's resource manager. "By continuing the program this season, we are ensuring that the progress made last year will not erode, and will help reduce the population closer to recommended levels."

During the deer reduction program, the Eno and Dailey Divisions are available for recreational use, as are the Al Buehler Cross Country Trail around the Duke Golf Course and the East Campus Trail. All divisions of the forest will be open for recreation on Saturdays and Sundays; hunting will not take place Nov. 26 and 27 in observance of Thanksgiving.

This year, bow hunting is being expanded to both the Durham and Korstian
Divisions.

"The addition of the Korstian Division comes after a number of requests by neighbors, visitors and researchers all noting the high deer population in this area," Edeburn said. "Gun hunting will continue on the Blackwood and Hillsboro Divisions, while the Eno and Dailey Divisions will not be open to hunters and will remain open for recreation."

"Because the mission of the forest is to serve as a research and teaching facility, we need to provide an environment where people can do research on natural ecosystems," Edeburn added. "If the deer have degraded the habitat significantly, then its potential to support certain research and teaching activities is diminished."

The deer present other problems. They feed on herbaceous plants, tree seedlings and saplings, which slows forest regeneration and degrades the habitat for ground-nesting birds and other animals. Additionally, there has been an increase in tick-associated diseases and the deer pose a danger to motorists along the roads that border the forest.

All nearby land owners have been notified of the hunting dates, and notices will be posted at entrances to the forest. "Because Duke Forest is used by researchers, students and the public, this will be done under very controlled conditions, using bait and away from research and recreation areas," Edeburn noted.

Similar efforts have occurred in many other regions of the country, including research forests maintained by N.C. State, Cornell, Yale and Harvard.

Researchers, students and teachers should contact the forest office as soon as possible to discuss impacts on their work and classes. People with questions or concerns can reach the forest office at (919) 613-8013, or via email at dukeforest@duke.edu. Updates on the program will be posted on the office's website at http://www.dukeforest.duke.edu.

The Duke Forest is divided into six divisions in Alamance, Durham and Orange counties and comprises more than 7,000 acres. A variety of ecosystems, forest cover types, plant species, soils, topography and past land use conditions are represented within its boundaries. The forest has been managed for research and teaching purposes since the early 1930s.