Moose browsing in young Scots pine stands in relation to forest management

Heikkilä, Risto; Härkönen, Sauli

doi:10.1016/s0378-1127(96)03823-6

Cited by 59 publications

(47 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…Similar results have been reported previously (e.g. Heikkilä 1990Heikkilä , 1993Heikkilä and Härkönen 1996;Härkönen 1998;Härkönen et al 2008b;Nikula et al 2008). Scots pine is a light demanding tree species, and shading reduces its height-and diameter growth, keeping the trees longer within moose browsing range and, possibly, making them more palatable to moose (Danell et al 1991b).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

“…We believe that this is due to the fact that we used the percentage of pines with recent damage as the response variable. A general pattern is that the absolute number of browsed/damaged trees or shoots increases with increasing food supply, whereas the proportion decreases (Lyly and Saksa 1992;Heikkilä and Härkönen 1996). As pointed out by Ball and Dahlgren (2002), this fact could be exploited in order to increase the number of undamaged pine trees at a given moose population density by increasing the number of Scots pine to 4000-5000 ha -1 in young stands, compared to recommendations of at least 1700 ha -1 .…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

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Recent browsing damage by moose on Scots pine, birch and aspen in young commercial forests – effects of forage availability, moose population density and site productivity

Bergqvist¹,

Bergström²,

Wallgren³

2014

Silva Fenn.

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Recent browsing damage by moose on Scots pine, birch and aspen in young commercial forests -effects of forage availability, moose population density and site productivity Bergqvist G., Bergström R., Wallgren M. (2014). Recent browsing damage by moose on Scots pine, birch and aspen in young commercial forests -effects of forage availability, moose population density and site productivity. Silva Fennica vol. 48 no. 1 article id 1077. 13 p. Highlights• Moose damage was most common on aspen and least common on Scots pine.• Damage to Scots pine increased when the amount of pine browse decreased, moose index and site index increased and when birch was overtopping pine.• Damage to birch increased when moose index increased and damage to aspen increased when the amount of pine and birch browse decreased. AbstractMoose browsing damage from the winter preceding the study (recent damage) on Scots pine, birch and aspen was examined in relation to forage availability, an index of moose population density and site productivity in young forests in the hemiboreal zone. Recent damage was observed for 4.1 ± 0.54% (mean ± SE; Scots pine), 16.8 ± 1.89% (birch) and 67.6 ± 13.76% (aspen) of the trees. A multiple regression with five independent variables explained 19% (Scots pine) 14% (birch) and 33% (aspen) of the variation in recent damage. Cover of Scots pine browse was the most important variable for predicting damage to Scots pine and accounted for 44% of the explained variation. When birch was overtopping pine there was a significant increase in damage to pine. Moose index was the only significant variable to explain recent damage to birch, and accounted for 64% of the explained variation. For aspen, damage was negatively correlated to coverage of Scots pine and birch browse, each variable accounting for 38% of the explained variation. For Scots pine, increasing the number of pines ha -1 and performing pre-commercial thinning in such a way that pines are not overtopped may be efficient ways of reducing damage proportions, whereas birch needs to be protected from moose (by a reduction of the moose population or otherwise) in order to escape damage. Increased amounts of Scots pine browse and birch browse may also reduce damage levels to aspen, according to this study.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 88%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Recent browsing damage by moose on Scots pine, birch and aspen in young commercial forests – effects of forage availability, moose population density and site productivity

Bergqvist¹,

Bergström²,

Wallgren³

2014

Silva Fenn.

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“…This is also in line with several earlier studies. Browsing of pine was common in the patches with high densities of aspen and rowan, the preferred and highly utilized deciduous tree species (Heikkilä and Härkönen 1996). High amounts of bush, especially aspen, increased damage to pine (Heikkilä 1990).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Some of these factors, like site productivity, have been found to increase browsing by moose and, thus, the risk of moose damage. However, studies of some other factors, like tree species composition (Heikkilä and Härkönen 1996;Ball and Dahlgren 2002) or the density of stands (Heikkilä and Mikkonen 1992) have produced contradictory results, regarding whether these factors increase or decrease the amount of browsing and, consequently, moose damage.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Moose damage in National Forest Inventories (1986–2008) in Finland

Nevalainen¹,

Matala²,

Korhonen³

et al. 2016

Silva Fenn.

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Highlights• Almost 100 000 stands were studied.• The proportion of damage doubled during the study period.• Tree species mixture had a clear effect on the damage frequency.• The damage was more common in mineral soils than in peatlands, in artificially than in naturally regenerated stands and in stands that needed thinning or clearing or in which soil preparation was used. AbstractThe occurrence of moose damage was studied using data from three National Forest Inventories (NFIs) accomplished between 1986 and 2008 in Finland. The combined data included a total of 97 390 young stands. The proportion of moose damage increased from 3.6% to 8.6% between the 8th NFI (1986)(1987)(1988)(1989)(1990)(1991)(1992)(1993)(1994) and the 10th NFI (2004)(2005)(2006)(2007)(2008). The majority (75%) of the damage occurred in Scots pine-dominated stands. The proportion of damage was higher in aspen-dominated stands than in stands dominated by any other tree species. The tree species mixture also had a clear effect on the occurrence of damage. Pure Scots pine stands had less damage than mixed Scots pine stands, and moose damage decreased linearly with the increasing proportion of Scots pine. Stands on mineral soil had more frequent moose damage than stands on peatlands. The fertility class of the site had no straightforward effect on the damage frequency. Artificially regenerated stands had more damage than naturally regenerated stands. Accomplished soil preparation measures and the need for thinning or clearing operations increased moose damage. High proportions of moose damage in young stands were found around the country. In the 10th NFI, the largest concentration of damage was found in southwestern Finland. Our study shows the temporal and spatial changes in the occurrence of moose damage and pinpoints some important silvicultural factors affecting the relative risk of young stands over a large geographical area.

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“…For example, Rousset and Lepart (1999) suggest that Scots pine, because of its lower palatability, can colonize grasslands more rapidly than Quercus humilis, because ungulates avoid pines but heavily damage oaks located in these unprotected habitats. Danell et al (1991a), Heikkilä and Härkönen (1996), and Härkönen et al (1998) found that young Scots pines growing in monospecific stands are less damaged by moose (Alces alces) than those growing in mixed stands containing some other highly palatable tree species, such as aspen (Populus tremula), willows (Salix spp. ), or rowan (Sorbus aucuparia).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Ungulate damage on Scots pines in Mediterranean environments: effects of association with shrubs

Gómez¹,

Hódar²,

Zamora³

et al. 2001

Can. J. Bot.

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Abstract:The spatial structure of plant communities as well as the quality and abundance of neighbours can strongly influence the intensity of herbivory suffered by a plant. In this paper, we study the effect of the association with shrubs on the ungulate herbivory suffered by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris var. nevadensis Christ., Pinaceae) saplings in two isolated, fragmented populations in southeastern Spain. For this, we monitored herbivory on saplings with regard to the microhabitat in which they grew. We distinguished pines growing in open interspaces, on the edge of shrubs and within the canopy of shrubs, and also we distinguished four functional types of shrubs: thorny shrubs, nonthorny shrubs, thorny scrubs, and nonthorny scrubs. Our results show that association with shrubs increases the damage inflicted on Scots pine saplings. In fact, saplings growing in the open patches, far from the shrubs, escaped from herbivory more frequently and incurred less damage than did saplings growing close to shrubs. However, herbivory was also reduced when pine saplings were completely surrounded by shrubs, since then they served as a mechanical barrier. The type of neighbouring shrub did not affect the overall damage suffered by pines, despite the fact that the ungulates damaged the nonthorny scrubs more intensely than the other kinds of shrubs. Consequently, saplings have an advantage when growing within the canopy of shrubs; these constitute key microsites for pine recruitment in these Mediterranean forests.Key words: associational resistance, associational susceptibility, mammalian herbivory, Mediterranean high mountain, neighbouring effects, Pinus sylvestris var. nevadensis.Résumé : La structure spatiale des communautés végétales ainsi que la qualité et l'abondance des voisins peuvent fortement influencer l'intensité de l'herbivorie subie par les plantes. Les auteurs ont étudié l'effet de l'association avec des arbustes sur l'herbivorie subie de la part des ongulés par de jeunes plants de pin sylvestre (Pinus sylvestris var. -nevadensis Christ., Pinaceae) dans deux populations isolées et fragmentées du sud-est de l'Espagne. A cette fin, ils ont suivi l'herbivorie chez les jeunes plants en relation avec le microhabitat où ils poussent. Ils ont distingué les pins poussant dans les espaces ouverts, près d'arbustes et sous la canopée des arbustes, et ont également identifié 4 types fonctionnels d'arbustes : arbustes épineux, arbustes non-épineux, rebuts (scrubs) épineux, rebuts non-épineux. On observe que l'association avec les arbustes augmente le dommage subi par les jeunes plants de pin sylvestre. En fait, les jeunes plants poussant dans les espaces ouverts, loin des arbustes, échappent à l'herbivorie plus souvent et subissent moins de dommages que les jeunes plants poussant près des arbustes. Cependant, l'herbivorie est également réduite lorsque les jeunes plants de pin sont complètement entourés d'arbustes, qui servent alors de barrière mécanique. Le type d'arbuste avoisinant n'affecte pas les dommages en général s...

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Moose browsing in young Scots pine stands in relation to forest management

Cited by 59 publications

References 23 publications

Recent browsing damage by moose on Scots pine, birch and aspen in young commercial forests – effects of forage availability, moose population density and site productivity

Recent browsing damage by moose on Scots pine, birch and aspen in young commercial forests – effects of forage availability, moose population density and site productivity

Moose damage in National Forest Inventories (1986–2008) in Finland

Ungulate damage on Scots pines in Mediterranean environments: effects of association with shrubs

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