Protecting western redcedar from deer browsing—with a passing reference to TRP channels

Abstract

This editorial is about tree farming. It proposes to test in an experiment whether co-planting (in the same hole) western redcedar (WRC, Thuja plicata) with Sitka spruce (Picea sitchensis) protects WRC seedlings from wildlife browsing. This sustainable protection method is an alternative to the traditional use of mechanical devices and big-game repellents. Many repellents contain transient receptor potential (TRP) agonists, such as capsaicin, a TRP vanilloid-1 agonist. This editorial also delivers a puzzle: while herbivores avoid capsaicin, why do people living in hot climates consume large quantities of it (in chili peppers)?.