The impact of feeding behaviour of big herbivores on forest stands
1994
Homolka, M. (Akademie Ved Ceske Republiky, Brno (Czech Republic). Ustav Ekologie Krajiny)
In highland mixed forest (350 to 500 m) feeding habits of European hare, roe deer, red deer and mouflon were observed with regard to their influence on forest stands. These game species had an important impact on both the natural and artificial regeneration of the forest. In winter when food resources are limited, young shoots of broadleaved and coniferous tree species are the most important food for all mentioned species of wildlife. Outside the growing season the game consumed 46.2 % of the biomass of broadleaved shoots and 41.1 % of the biomass of coniferous shoots. Shoots were eaten most intensively by roe deer and least by hare. Browsing of spruce shoots is the most intensive in first years after planting. In spring over 85 % of young trees lost more than half of the shoots. Red deer damaged the bark on tree stems intensively. At the age of 30 years over 90 % of spruce trees had the bark damaged by peeling or browsing. At present the system of management and many game-ecology interrelations in forest ecosystems are impaired and considerable damage is arising in forest stands. The situation can be efficiently solved only by reducing the population density of cloven-footed game to numbers at which the negative influence of game will be minimized and the ecological stability of forest ecosystems restored
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