• Marquis, David A.
  

Difficulties now being experienced in obtaining natural regeneration of Allegheny hardwoods after forest cutting have been puzzling, for the current cuttings are similar to those that produced the excellent stands present today. A search of historical material in north western Pennsylvania provides much insight into the changes that have occurred in forest conditions from the days of the Indian through the era of white settlement and industrial development up to the present. Two major changes seem to account for the present difficulties: a much larger deer herd now exists so that deer feeding on tree seedlings has become a major factor preventing new forest establishment; and present stands lack the well-developed seedling under story that was present in the original forests as a result of their over mature condition and long history of partial cutting. Thus the problems we now face in forest management as well as the bounty of timber and deer that we now obtain from these Allegheny hardwood forests both had their origins in events that occurred many years ago.