Ungulate impact on different beech regeneration sites

Hejel Péter and Katona Krisztián and Szemethy László and Békési Szabolcs: Ungulate impact on different beech regeneration sites. In: Review on agriculture and rural development, (1) 1. pp. 272-277. (2012)

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Abstract

Forest game damages lead to a serious conflict between forest and game managers, both in Hungary and worldwide. For forestry units the most important source of incomes is the logging. However, ungulates can have serious local browsing pressure on reforestation sites by their normal feeding activities. Foresters believe that the only way for reducing that damage is the radical reduction of number of large herbivorous game species (mainly red deer) in the forest. But for game managers a suitable level of ungulate density is necessary to gain incomes from hunting. As a consequence there is no agreement about the ecologically and economically sustainable ungulate density and impact. To decrease this difficult contradiction we need scientific data about the real browsing effect of large herbivores on forest vegetation of different characteristics. In this study we investigated the available food supply and the browsing effect of ungulates on artificial and natural beech regeneration sites of different ages. Density of beech saplings and number of available and browsed sprouts of all woody species present were estimated. We found significantly more beech saplings and sprouts and also higher browsing impact on beech in the natural than in artifical sites. Although we did not reveal a clear linear correlation, the highest browsing values (more than 20%) were detected when the proportion of the alternative food supply was less than 10 %. We propose to maintain natural species diversity in beech regeneration sites from the very first period for giving chance to ungulate species not to browse target tree species. Based on our results diverse woody vegetation can have a great importance not only in artificial monospecies beech regeneration sites, but even in case of natural beech regeneration.

Item Type: Article
Journal or Publication Title: Review on agriculture and rural development
Date: 2012
Volume: 1
Number: 1
ISSN: 2063-4803
Page Range: pp. 272-277
Language: English
Related URLs: http://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/55130/
Uncontrolled Keywords: Erdőgazdálkodás - Magyarország, Bükk hegység, Kár - vadgazdálkodás, Vadkár
Additional Information: Bibliogr.: 277. p. ; ill. ; összefoglalás angol nyelven
Subjects: 04. Agricultural sciences
04. Agricultural sciences > 04.02. Animal and Dairy science
Date Deposited: 2018. Jun. 14. 11:14
Last Modified: 2024. Mar. 26. 15:02
URI: http://acta.bibl.u-szeged.hu/id/eprint/55195

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