Hemlocks are a common type of tree in the northern forests of the united states. in studying one forest, a forester noticed that mature hemlocks were abundant but there were very few young hemlocks. she wondered why there were so few young hemlocks. by reading the records that other foresters in that area had kept, she learned that the population of deer living in the forest had doubled in the last five years. by reading studies on forests that other scientists had performed, she also learned that deer in similar forests like to eat young hemlocks and the young trees of other species.

which question most closely relates to the forester's observations and the collected scientific data on forests?

a. do the young hemlocks have a disease? b. are deer eating most of the young hemlocks? c. why are there so many deer in the forest? d. did a lack of rain cause the hemlocks to stop reproducing?