In the midst of hunting season, it can be dangerous to offer opinions about deer hunting. There are those who vigorously defend the time-honored tradition of hunting, its benefits to the health of the deer herd, the value of being outdoors and fully engaged with the natural environment, and the significance of filling a freezer with fresh, wild and nutritious meat.

On the other side are those of us who cherish the beauty of animals and feel that killing wildlife for sport or food is just not appropriate in a civilized society.

These two perspectives, along with all their variations, are amply expressed in dueling opinions in the pages of newspapers, internet blogs and other media. The argument is rarely settled, and it's infrequent that anyone on either side changes the point of view of someone on the other.

But there's one view that isn't presented often enough. That's the view of the forest, expressed by the observations and experience of foresters and forest ecologists.

Please recall that ecology is not a popular movement but a rigorous field of science. In simple terms, it's the study of how the various components of our environment interact. If you will, it's the study of how everything works together. Ecologists look at how populations of species ebb and flow and the movement of energy (in the form of plant and animal foods) through the ecosystem.

When ecologists look at our forests, which comprise about 80 percent of the natural habitat of New Hampshire, they see a system that is mostly healthy and functioning well. There are some issues, such as exotic invasive pests and diseases that create worry and require action, but overall our forests are in good shape. That's even after a 19th- and early 20th-century of over-harvesting, conversion of forests to pasture and the loss of some important species like chestnut and elm to imported diseases.

The same cannot be said for forests in some states to our south. Those forests have been changed dramatically by past human activity, and today one consequence of those activities is an over abundance of white-tailed deer.

Before European settlement, the habitat of the eastern United States was no where near as hospitable to deer. Mature forests did not provide sufficient quantities of low growing plants to feed large populations of deer. Predators like wolves, cougars and other carnivores at the top of the food chain also assured that deer populations were kept in balance with the habitat. When food supplies became plentiful, more deer fed more predators because the population cycles were linked, and balance was maintained.

Today's list of threats to our forests includes the white tailed deer. Without controls on their population (hunting, predators, and extreme winter weather) deer will virtually eliminate the regeneration of forests. In parts of Pennsylvania, hardwoods (including the highly prized black cherry) cannot grow from seed or stump sprout to maturity because any such edible vegetation is quickly devoured by an over abundance of deer. In Michigan, where populations exceed the desired level by nearly a half-million deer, there are places where the only ground level vegetation in the forest is ferns. No young tree survives. Even white pine seedlings, which New Hampshire deer disdain, are quickly browsed to oblivion in north central Michigan.

I recall not many years ago taking a hike on an island in Lake Winnipesaukee that a herd of too many deer inhabit. Rifle hunting is not allowed on islands in the lake. There were beautiful oaks and maples in the forest canopy, but only pine in the understory. It was park-like and scenic from one perspective, but an ecological disaster from another.

Thankfully, New Hampshire doesn't yet have much of this problem, except perhaps in the more suburban parts of the southeastern areas. But it could be coming. The climate is changing, and winters are no longer as hard on the deer herd. Increasing sprawl creates better habitat for deer, in no small part because people plant things that deer love to eat. And the number of hunters is decreasing even as the deer herds are increasing.

While it's not possible to wade into the pro- and anti-hunting debate without taking some shots, one thing is clear: Hunting is one of our best defenses against the ecological decline of our forests. Without it, deer proliferate at the expense of other species of plants and animals. The system tips out of balance.

So, while I'm not a hunter and don't plan on becoming one, I take the time each year in November to thank every hunter I meet. They are saving my forest.

(Paul Doscher of Weare is a former professor of environmental science and owns a certified tree farm.)