LONDON, Ohio -- Deer may be quiet, elusive creatures, but the pronounced damage they leave behind eats away millions of dollars a year in profits. Learn how to protect your natural resources investments from deer at this year's Ohio State University Farm Science Review.
Dave Apsley, an Ohio State University Extension natural resources specialist, and Marne Titchenell, an OSU Extension wildlife program specialist, will present "Protecting Your Tree Plantings from Deer" on Sept. 17 at 1 p.m. at the Gwynne Conservation Area Wildlife Amphitheatre. Farm Science Review will be held Sept. 16-18 at the Molly Caren Agricultural Center in London, Ohio.
Apsley said that the purpose of the seminar is to educate visitors on the damage deer can do to woodland trees and the techniques to protect tree seedlings and saplings from deer browsing and rubbing.
"Compared to other states, such as Pennsylvania, deer populations are not that bad in Ohio," said Apsley. "But the reality remains that when deer find a food source, tree plantings can fail and landscapes get damaged. The key to control is understanding a deer's behavior and knowing what techniques are available."
Apsley and Titchenell will cover several options to protecting tree plantings from deer: tree tubes that cover the trunk of the tree, repellents, fencing, and controlling animal populations.
Apsley hopes to share information from OSU Extension's own work with deer enclosures established in forested areas throughout southern Ohio.
The Gwynne Conservation Area will host over 20 various natural resources seminars during Farm Science Review. Topics include bats, wetlands, muskrat management, tree identification, emerald ash borer, pruning pines, maple syrup, conservation tree planting, selling timber and prairie management.
Farm Science Review is sponsored by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences, Ohio State University Extension, and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. It attracts upwards of 140,000 visitors from all over the country and Canada, who come for three days to peruse 4,000 product lines from 600 commercial exhibitors, and learn the latest in agricultural research, conservation, family and nutrition, and gardening and landscape.
Tickets are $8 at the gate or $5 in advance when purchased from county offices of OSU Extension or participating agribusinesses. Children 5 and younger are admitted free. Hours are 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sept. 16-17 and 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sept. 18.
For more information, log on to http://fsr.osu.edu.