Data from: Effects of deer browsing on eastern hemlock growth and survival

Studies during the past six decades convincingly demonstrate that
persistent browsing by native white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus)
eliminates the ability of eastern hemlock (Tsuga canadensis), white cedar
(Thuja occidentalis), yellow birch (Betula alleghaniensis), and several
other long-lived tree species to regenerate in forests of the upper
Midwest and northeastern United States. The data shared here were used for
three publications to date (see the Related Works section, below): The
first is Alverson et al. 2019, which critically examined the relative
contributions of deer versus snowshoe hare in reducing the growth and
survival of eastern hemlock. The second is Alverson et al. 2024, a more
detailed examination of growth and mortality rates of eastern hemlock, and
the relationship of those two variables. The third is Waller et al. 2024,
which explores the Regeneration Ratio, a new metric that integrates growth
("transit time" through the zone of vulnerability to browsing by
deer and other herbivores) and mortality (half-life), and can be used to
assess regeneration potential in populations of other tree species. (We
are interested in collaborations to further test this metric for
additional temperate and tropical species.) This is a rich data set from
extensive fieldwork in northern Wisconsin and the western Upper Peninsula
of Michigan, USA, from 1991 to 2011. It will be useful to others who wish
to check our results, or examine specific subsets of data, e.g., the
growth and mortality of specific size classes of hemlocks, behaviour of
cohorts during a specific decade relative to regional changes in deer or
hare abundance, or the characteristics of cohorts growing in specific
ownerships. Although we examined the relationship of diameter and height,
we did not consider allometry in detail in these publications. We
encourage others to explore the allometry of these indigenous, juvenile
hemlocks and would be happy to share the limited additional data that we
have, upon request.