FIRST may I add my congratulations to Andrew Stephens for his letter about the deer cull.

It was my letter of December 6 which prompted a response from 'Old Moaner'. Perhaps the public might like to consider information I have obtained since that date.

According to Mr Charles Critchley, (officer responsible for the protection and conservation of fauna on Forestry Commission managed land) it is the responsibility of the local management to decide the number of deer to be sustained in their area. The management at Coleford have stated that 400 deer seems to be the number for the Forest of Dean.

I then contacted Professor Stephen Harris of Bristol University who states and I quote:

"Woods can sustain very high densities of deer, sometimes over 25 per 100 hectares, which if applied to the Forest of Dean would give a total of 1,925 deer. However, at these densities the deer would have a huge impact on the local flora. The density at which deer have no impact on the flora would be five deer per 100 hectares or less.

I believe that to have between 10 to 15 deer per 100 hectares, whilst some damage might occur, the damage would be acceptable. One only has to look at the growth of brambles which has increased since the rapid reduction of the herd under present management. Brambles are the staple winter diet of deer. Unfortunately I believe the numbers decided on reflects the attitude that they are only protecting the extraction of timber by a loss-making organisation. – Trevor Payne, Mile End.