10-year Allegheny hardwood forest type regeneration data

This data publication contains regeneration surveys in an experiment investigating the independent and synergistic effects of both white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus) browsing and hay-scented fern (Dennstaedtia punctilobula) competition on tree regeneration in a 10-year experiment that ran from 2001 to 2010 in three hardwood forest sites in Pennsylvania, USA. Treatments included fencing (+/-) to examine the role of browsing and the hay-scented fern cover (+/-) to examine the role of competing vegetation. Data were collected in 1 meter squared plots within each experimental unit. Seedling tallies were done to identify both established seedlings, new germinants, as well as height of the tallest seedling, by species.
The experiment was designed to examine how tree seedling establishment, growth, and composition are filtered by fern cover versus fern removal (gaps), browser presence versus absence (exclosures), and their combined effects over ten years at three hardwood forest sites in Pennsylvania, USA.