Forest pasturing of free-roaming livestock is a common prac- tice in many parts of the world, but knowledge on how it affects tree regeneration in boreal forests is lacking. We mapped tree density, live- stock site us...Forest pasturing of free-roaming livestock is a common prac- tice in many parts of the world, but knowledge on how it affects tree regeneration in boreal forests is lacking. We mapped tree density, live- stock site use and accumulated damage to young trees of commercial interest （Norway spruce, Picea abies L. Karst.） on 56 clearcuts inside and outside a fenced forest area used for livestock pasturing in Ringsaker, Norway. Inside the fence 56-1.8% of spruce trees were damaged com- pared to 37-3.4% outside. Proportion of damaged spruce trees was posi- tively related to cattle use of the clearcut, but not so for sheep. On the most intensively used clearcuts, four out of five trees were damaged. The density of deciduous trees was five times lower inside compared to out- side of the fence （varying with plant species）. While livestock grazing may reduce resource competition in favour of spruce, the current animal density clearly is impeding forest regeneration in the study area.展开更多
基金partly funded by the Research Council of Norway,project#215647/E40(Intensified harvesting of forests–implications for enterprises related to wild and domestic ungulates)
文摘Forest pasturing of free-roaming livestock is a common prac- tice in many parts of the world, but knowledge on how it affects tree regeneration in boreal forests is lacking. We mapped tree density, live- stock site use and accumulated damage to young trees of commercial interest （Norway spruce, Picea abies L. Karst.） on 56 clearcuts inside and outside a fenced forest area used for livestock pasturing in Ringsaker, Norway. Inside the fence 56-1.8% of spruce trees were damaged com- pared to 37-3.4% outside. Proportion of damaged spruce trees was posi- tively related to cattle use of the clearcut, but not so for sheep. On the most intensively used clearcuts, four out of five trees were damaged. The density of deciduous trees was five times lower inside compared to out- side of the fence （varying with plant species）. While livestock grazing may reduce resource competition in favour of spruce, the current animal density clearly is impeding forest regeneration in the study area.
