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The exclosure study site is dominated by a mix of northern hardwoods and oak and classified as Central Dry-Mesic Oak-Aspen-Red Maple Forest type (MHc26a). The pre-settlement disturbance regime for this MHc26 native plant community (NPC) was primarily from light surface fire that created partial mortality of the canopy with an estimated rotation of about 75 years. As this is a mesic hardwood community the fires were not catastrophic in scale but with a relatively warmer climate in the central part of the state, ground layer fuels were often dry enough to carry surface fires that provided seedbed and open conditions for regeneration of mid-tolerant species such as red oak. There is current interest in managing these forests with techniques that mimic the natural disturbance patterns created by fire. The use of even-age shelterwood management is often utilized to create large open conditions over time but can prove tricky in maintaining a balance between creating conditions favorable for the species of interest in the face of competition from other species. Site preparation and follow up release techniques can be used to deal with this challenge, but there is a risk that these techniques may have unintended consequences by changing the plant composition of these forests. The pressure from deer herbivory further complicates management.