Protection of young Scots pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.) from damage by elk (Alces alces L.) in the Leningrad region

The relationship of phytophagous ungulates with vegetation in forest ecosystems is of theoretical and practical interest. In the southern taiga subzone, elk is one of the main factors that have a negative impact on the processes of renewal and growth of young pine stands. Damage by elk to pine in the form of biting off the apical and lateral shoots, biting the bark, breaking the trunk leads to a decrease in growth, the appearance of economically unpromising trees, and in some cases, to their death. In 2017 2018, two experiments were performed in the Gatchinsky district of the Leningrad region to protect young Scots pine stands (Pinus sylvestris L.) from damage (eating) by elk (Alces alces L.). In the autumn, the repellent cervacol extra was applied in the form of a paste, manually processing part of the apical shoot of pine in all the trees on the site. The results show that the paste is highly effective in protecting pine trees from being eaten by moose in winter. In the treatment variants, more than 96 % of the treated pine trees were able to preserve the apical shoot from being eaten by elk. In the control variants, only 42 44 % of the trees were left untouched by elk apical shoot. In the variants with cervacol extra paste, pine trees with a height of 101 200 cm were most often damaged, and trees up to 50 cm high were not damaged at all. Experiments have shown that there are serious, massive damage to pine elk and requires the use of protective measures of this tree species.