The mighty oak trees that have dominated eastern US forests for 10,000 years are in serious decline due to failed regeneration of seedlings. Ecologist Walter Carson's research shows that suppression of forest fires, decreased canopy gaps from logging, and overbrowsing by overpopulated deer herds have caused the oak population to be overtaken by competitor tree species like maple and beech. Unless forest management practices are changed to reintroduce controlled burns and reduce deer numbers, the eastern forests as we know them may be lost as the oak population disappears.