Study Details What Critical Habitat Means For Sitka Blacktails In Southeast Alaska

The Blacktail Deer Foundation and its partners in Alaska have released a comprehensive new report, a deep into Sitka blacktails and the Southeast Alaska habitat they live in and need. From the report:

Sitka black-tailed deer (Odocoileus hemionus sitkaensis) are deeply woven into the social and ecological fabric of southeast Alaska, providing critical subsistence resources for remote communities. Historical timber harvest from the 1950s onward has created hundreds of thousands of acres of “succession debt”—clearcuts that have naturally regenerated into dense, stem-excluded forests lacking the understory forage deer require. Much of the deer’s critical habitat of old-growth forests were targeted by this timber harvest affecting winter survival success through the lack of snow-intercepting old-growth canopy and accessible forage. These younger habitats regenerate as densely populated young growth which are not as productive for deer and can reduce a habitat’s carrying capacity, negatively affecting both local deer populations and hunting traditions – both subsistence and sport hunting.

To address this critical issue, the Blacktail Deer Foundation developed the first comprehensive, region-wide restoration mapping framework for southeast Alaska for black-tailed deer. This contemporary assessment integrates recent advancements in remote sensing, LiDAR-derived forest characteristics, and empirical information on deer use, distribution, and hunting to identify high-priority restoration areas in southeast Alaska. This framework supports landscape- level conservation planning and enables collaboration among federal, state, tribal agencies, communities, and other stakeholders and can guide BDF and other managers on young growth forest management that will benefit forest stands, deer populations, and hunting opportunities.

Here’s the press release:

CLEARFIELD, Utah, February 20, 2026 – The Blacktail Deer Foundation (BDF) has released a new report titled “A Restoration Mapping Framework: To Improve Sitka Black-tailed Deer Habitat in Southeast Alaska.” Developed in partnership with the U.S. Forest Service, the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, and other conservation partners, the report is a detailed guide for active forest management in young-growth forest stands throughout Southeast Alaska on lands managed by the Tongass National Forest and other landowners. By focusing on areas where deer habitat restoration is a priority and where previous harvest has left road infrastructure in place, the report identifies where management can increase and sustain Sitka black-tailed deer populations, support the state’s forest products industry, and expand access for hunting and subsistence traditions. 

“Black-tailed deer hunting is ingrained into the social fabric of Southeast Alaska for local Native communities and sport hunters alike. Forestry drives the economic well-being of local residents and provides forest products to markets worldwide,” stated Steve Belinda, BDF Chief Conservation Officer. “By using active forest management to harvest young-growth timber, grow deer populations, and improve hunter access, we can achieve a genuine win for wildlife, communities, and the economy.” 

Historical logging and forest management practices in Southeast Alaska have altered both the ecological conditions that sustain Sitka black-tailed deer populations and the social fabric of remote communities that depend on them. Many previously harvested stands have regrown into dense, closed-canopy conditions that suppress the understory vegetation deer depend on for food creating “green deserts”. This report fills a critical information gap in conservation efforts and forest restoration by providing a comprehensive, long-term framework for active forest management in the region. Strategic thinning and forest management will increase local deer populations, provide sustainable forest products for local markets, and strengthen the long-term resilience of subsistence hunting communities across Southeast Alaska. 

The report’s framework integrated Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with the latest Light Detection and Ranging (LiDAR) remote sensing technology to layer key data and resource values and identify priority areas across Southeast Alaska. The analysis combined forest stand data, existing road infrastructure and access, and deer behavior and hunting patterns to pinpoint where habitat restoration can be most effectively and efficiently implemented. This includes increasing opportunities and access to subsistence and sport hunting. The result: roughly 80,000 acres across 42 watersheds on federal, private, tribal, and state lands in Southeast Alaska where identified as high priority for treatments that can improve deer habitat and deer hunting while facilitating sustainable young-growth timber harvest, without requiring new infrastructure or construction. Of particular significance is Prince of Wales Island – the site of much of the region’s historic logging and now experiencing serious deer population declines. The report identified 43,000 priority acres on POW alone. BDF is now planning its first projects on Prince of Wales Island to begin translating the report’s findings into action.  

Click to view and download the full report: “A Restoration Mapping Framework: To Improve Sitka Black-tailed Deer Habitat in Southeast Alaska.”