The researchers said their findings highlight the importance of large predators in landscapes, and show how they – and even just their scent – could help reduce browsing from overabundant deer populations and support the recovery of forests. The study found deer visited less and spent less time browsing in the plots with predator scents, particularly the smell of lynx, leading to less damage to the saplings planted there. They also added that wolves were still establishing themselves in the area when the study was taking place, but the deer had more experience of lynx as predators. “Deer still have some innate fear of predators, even if those predators have been absent for generations. The reintroduction of lynx, which prey primarily on deer, would also directly reduce the number of herbivores eating saplings, they added.