Things aren't always as they seem. This is especially true of wildlife and forests. To a hunter, or anyone out in the fall, a diverse and healthy forest will appear to be a paradise for the one to two million whitetail deer we have here in Michigan. But as winter gets underway we must look closer. Much of the important ground cover used for food will be under the snow. The higher the population of deer in one area, the more competition for food. As the snow gets deeper and ground foods disappear, the deer compete even more. When it comes to tree species, there are some that are much more preferred by the deer.--- like aspen, white cedar, and red maple. If these aren't available deer are likely to browse on their second choices---cherry, oak, white pine and birch. If deer are especially desperate, they may resort to starvation foods like red pine, spruce and balsam fir. Deer can only reach so high and if their preferred food is above this browse line, they will resort to other choices.

Again, things aren't always as they appear. Are fir, spruce, and pine poor wildlife species because the whitetail deer do not eat on them unless faced with starvation. Of course not. Other species of wild animals use them extensively. Grouse feed on the needles. The seeds are readily eaten by songbirds. Perhaps most important, these trees all provide excellent cover at a time of the year when good shelter is the difference between life and death. An animal's habitat requires both food and shelter. Many Michigan trees provide both, especially with good forest planning.