Physical Influences on Forest Types and Deer Habitat, Northern Fiordland, New Zealand

G.H. Stewart and J.B.J. Harrison

Forest types of the Wapiti, Doon and Glaisnock catchments, ranked in order of proportion of preferred food species for deer, paralleled a gradient of landform stability. Seral forests and low altitude silver beech forests were preferred deer habitat because they contained the largest proportions of highly preferred species. They often occurred on unstable landforms such as debris cones, colluvial sideslopes, and terraces with recent and compound soils, assumed to be of high nutrient status. In contrast, mountain beech and high altitude silver beech forests supported lower proportions of highly preferred food species and were poor deer habitat. They occurred on more stable landforms such as bedrock sideslopes, ridges and benches with poorly-drained, infertile soils. The Wapiti/Doon catchments contained a greater abundance of more stable landforms than the Glaisnock and therefore provided poorer deer habitat in the predominant mountain beech forests.