Influence of wild ungulates on forest regeneration: overview for Switzerland Terminal shoots of tree saplings are part of the diet of chamois, roe and red deer, which in turn can affect forest regeneration. We investigated the current extent of browsing influence on the Swiss forest and the existence of regional differences. Our overview includes all available, regionally assessed data on the influence of roe deer, chamois and red deer in Switzerland, i.e. data of the fourth Swiss National Forest Inventory (NFI 2009/13) and data from the cantons derived from 1) representative sample plot inventories, 2) surveys in selected forest areas and 3) assessments by expert opinion. In the time period between approx. 2009 and 2014 no larger region of Switzerland stood out with respect to browsing influence. On the level of the ungulates home range or forest districts we found large differences in the browsing impact, but on at least two-thirds of the assessed forest area of Switzerland browsing had no major influence on single tree species nor on forest regeneration in general (browsing level 1). In the colline vegetation belt frequent browsing has the most adverse influence on oak, in the montane belt on silver fir and in the lower subalpine belt on maple and rowan. Investigations focusing on a better understanding of the relationship between the objectively measurable browsing intensity and regeneration density as well as data on seedlings <10 cm would allow an even better assessment of the browsing influence on the forest. With Swiss-wide standardized assessments by expert opinion within uniformly defined ungulate home ranges, the comparability of data on the impact of wild ungulates on the Swiss forest could be further improved.
ABSTRACT:Airborne laser scanning (ALS) remote sensing data are now available for entire countries such as Switzerland. Methods for the estimation of forest parameters from ALS have been intensively investigated in the past years. However, the implementation of a forest mapping workflow based on available data at a regional level still remains challenging. A case study was implemented in the Canton of Valais (Switzerland). The national ALS dataset and field data of the Swiss National Forest Inventory were used to calibrate estimation models for mean and maximum height, basal area, stem density, mean diameter and stem volume. When stratification was performed based on ALS acquisition settings and geographical criteria, satisfactory prediction models were obtained for volume (R 2 =0.61 with a root mean square error of 47%) and basal area (respectively 0.51 and 45%) while height variables had an error lower than 19%. This case study shows that the use of nationwide ALS and field datasets for forest resources mapping is cost efficient, but additional investigations are required to handle the limitations of the input data and optimize the accuracy.
Management of forests and game in central Valais (essay) In the central Valais district, two forest-game concepts showed that after 2000 there was an intolerable situation with regard to game damage to forests. Since then, there have been significant development in the forest regime, thanks to financial equalization on a federal level and also changes to deer population. These changes made it possible to put in place serious measures to reduce damage to forest regeneration. This became possible because of a common interest which was implemented through coherent and ambitious forest and hunting measures.
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