Positive impact of large wild herbivore exclusion on silver fir regeneration: A case study from the Poľana Mountains, Central Slovakia

Kód výsledku v IS VaVaI

<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F60460709%3A41320%2F24%3AN0000041" target="_blank" >RIV/60460709:41320/24:N0000041 - isvavai.cz</a>

Výsledek na webu

<a href="https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/forj-2024-0007" target="_blank" >https://sciendo.com/article/10.2478/forj-2024-0007</a>

DOI - Digital Object Identifier

<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.2478/forj-2024-0007" target="_blank" >10.2478/forj-2024-0007</a>

Jazyk výsledku

angličtina

Název v původním jazyce

Positive impact of large wild herbivore exclusion on silver fir regeneration: A case study from the Poľana Mountains, Central Slovakia

Popis výsledku v původním jazyce

In forest ecosystems, the browsing activity of large wild herbivores (LWH) often leads to reduced tree and plant diversity, diminished biomass production, and challenges in achieving forest management objectives. Our case study focuses on assessing the impact of LWH browsing during the initial stages of forest growth by comparing fenced plots (F plots) with excluded LWH and control plots (C plots) with the presence of LWH. The experiment took place at the Hukavsk & yacute; Gr & uacute;& ncaron; research site in the Po & lcaron;ana Mts., characterized by a high red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) population. Fifteen F plots and fifteen C plots, all situated within mixed maternal forests, were established in the 2023 growing season. Thus, circular plots with a radius of 2.5 m were utilized, and comprehensive data were collected on young trees (excluding those under 10 cm in height), covering tree species, positions, heights, and stem diameters. Species-specific allometric relations were employed to calculate the aboveground biomass of each tree, contributing to the overall biomass stock on a plot basis. A comparison between F and C plots revealed a prevalence of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) in F plots, while European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) dominated C plots. F plots exhibited higher tree species diversity (4.5 species), contrasting with the lower diversity (2.0 species) and absence of silver fir in C plots. The F plots also demonstrated greater tree density and sizes, resulting in substantial differences in aboveground biomass stocks. Browsing in C plots predominantly affected tree height rather than stem diameter, leading to a bigger height-to-diameter ratio in F plots compared to C plots. We suggest that fencing as a method to exclude LWH might be economically expensive and provide a temporary solution limited by the functionality of the fence. Therefore, the primary strategy for safeguarding the future of silver fir may lie in regulating LWH populations to a reasonable threshold.

Název v anglickém jazyce

Positive impact of large wild herbivore exclusion on silver fir regeneration: A case study from the Poľana Mountains, Central Slovakia

Popis výsledku anglicky

In forest ecosystems, the browsing activity of large wild herbivores (LWH) often leads to reduced tree and plant diversity, diminished biomass production, and challenges in achieving forest management objectives. Our case study focuses on assessing the impact of LWH browsing during the initial stages of forest growth by comparing fenced plots (F plots) with excluded LWH and control plots (C plots) with the presence of LWH. The experiment took place at the Hukavsk & yacute; Gr & uacute;& ncaron; research site in the Po & lcaron;ana Mts., characterized by a high red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) population. Fifteen F plots and fifteen C plots, all situated within mixed maternal forests, were established in the 2023 growing season. Thus, circular plots with a radius of 2.5 m were utilized, and comprehensive data were collected on young trees (excluding those under 10 cm in height), covering tree species, positions, heights, and stem diameters. Species-specific allometric relations were employed to calculate the aboveground biomass of each tree, contributing to the overall biomass stock on a plot basis. A comparison between F and C plots revealed a prevalence of silver fir (Abies alba Mill.) in F plots, while European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) dominated C plots. F plots exhibited higher tree species diversity (4.5 species), contrasting with the lower diversity (2.0 species) and absence of silver fir in C plots. The F plots also demonstrated greater tree density and sizes, resulting in substantial differences in aboveground biomass stocks. Browsing in C plots predominantly affected tree height rather than stem diameter, leading to a bigger height-to-diameter ratio in F plots compared to C plots. We suggest that fencing as a method to exclude LWH might be economically expensive and provide a temporary solution limited by the functionality of the fence. Therefore, the primary strategy for safeguarding the future of silver fir may lie in regulating LWH populations to a reasonable threshold.

Druh

J_imp - Článek v periodiku v databázi Web of Science

CEP obor

—

OECD FORD obor

40100 - Agriculture, Forestry, and Fisheries

Projekt

—

Návaznosti

S - Specificky vyzkum na vysokych skolach

Rok uplatnění

2024

Kód důvěrnosti údajů

S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů

Název periodika

Central European Forestry Journal

ISSN

2454-034X

e-ISSN

—

Svazek periodika

70

Číslo periodika v rámci svazku

4

Stát vydavatele periodika

PL - Polská republika

Počet stran výsledku

15

Strana od-do

248-262

Kód UT WoS článku

001349338600006

EID výsledku v databázi Scopus

2-s2.0-85209882914