Nutrient balancing or spring flush – What determines spruce bark stripping level by red deer?

Widén, Anna; Jarnemo, Anders; Månsson, Johan; Lilja, Johan; Morel, Julien

doi:10.1016/j.foreco.2022.120414

Cited by 5 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 45 publications

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“…To date, the drivers and characteristics of bark-stripping damage on spruce trees have been relatively well described (Gill, 1992b;Vospernik, 2006;Candaele et al, 2021;Cukor et al, 2019a;Widén et al, 2022). We also have valuable information on the subsequent decay in the stems and welldetailed models of forest stand dynamics and forest management (Burn ¸eviča et al, 2016;Čermák and Strejček, 2007;Vacek et al, 2020).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The prevalence of bark-stripping damage is known to increase with ungulate density and depends on tree size, hunting management and environmental characteristics (Gill, 1992b;Candaele et al, 2021;Vospernik, 2006;Widén et al, 2022). Red deer mostly strip the bark of relatively young spruce trees as soon as the stem is stiff and accessible while the bark is still thin (Vospernik, 2006;Ligot et al, 2013).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This rate is correlated to deer abundance but the relationship saturates beyond a certain ungulate density (Ligot et al, 2013;Candaele et al, 2021). The other factors that can affect the frequency of bark-stripping damage are winter harshness, forest composition, distance from roads and urban areas, canopy opening, availability of other food resources such as beechnuts and acorns, and topographic position (Ligot et al, 2013;Candaele et al, 2021;Vospernik, 2006;Widén et al, 2022;Konôpka et al, 2022). The damage might occur both in winter and summer (Gill, 1992b;Widén et al, 2022).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The other factors that can affect the frequency of bark-stripping damage are winter harshness, forest composition, distance from roads and urban areas, canopy opening, availability of other food resources such as beechnuts and acorns, and topographic position (Ligot et al, 2013;Candaele et al, 2021;Vospernik, 2006;Widén et al, 2022;Konôpka et al, 2022). The damage might occur both in winter and summer (Gill, 1992b;Widén et al, 2022). Nevertheless, in summer, the bark is more loosely attached to the stem, and so deer typically remove longer strips of bark than in winter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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From the simulation of forest plantation dynamics to the quantification of bark-stripping damage by ungulates

Ligot

Gheysen²,

Perin

et al. 2023

Eur J Forest Res

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Large ungulate populations are known to cause economic damage to agriculture and forestry. Bark damage is particularly detrimental to the timber production of certain species, including Picea abies (L.) Karst. (Norway spruce): after bark is wounded, rot often spreads in the trunk base, damaging the most valuable trunk section. Numerous studies have provided valuable information on various aspects of this process but the financial consequences over a full timber production cycle remained poorly quantified and uncertain. To fill this gap, we coupled a forest dynamics model (GYMNOS) with models of damage occurrence and decay spread. We simulated the effect of ranging levels of bark-stripping damage on financial losses. The simulations were repeated for sites of ranging fertility and with different protection measures (fences or individual protections), in Southern Belgium. The net present values of these different simulations were estimated and compared to estimate the cost of the damage and the cost-effectiveness of the damage protections. Protecting plantations against bark-stripping damage with fences was found unlikely to be worthwhile. By contrast, individual protections placed on crop trees could be helpful, particularly in the most fertile stands. Loss of revenue depended greatly on the factors tested: we estimated that the average damage cost could be about 53e/ha/year, reducing timber yield by 19%. A model was built to predict the damage cost for different values of the discount rate, site index and bark-stripping rate. This model could help develop more effective management of Norway spruce plantations and deer populations.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

From the simulation of forest plantation dynamics to the quantification of bark-stripping damage by ungulates

Ligot

Gheysen²,

Perin

et al. 2023

Eur J Forest Res

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Increased intake of tree forage by moose is associated with intake of crops rich in nonstructural carbohydrates

Felton,

Spitzer,

Raubenheimer

et al. 2024

Ecology

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Animals representing a wide range of taxonomic groups are known to select specific food combinations to achieve a nutritionally balanced diet. The nutrient balancing hypothesis suggests that, when given the opportunity, animals select foods to achieve a particular target nutrient balance, and that balancing occurs between meals and between days. For wild ruminants who inhabit landscapes dominated by human land use, nutritionally imbalanced diets can result from ingesting agricultural crops rich in starch and sugar (nonstructural carbohydrates [NCs]), which can be provided to them by people as supplementary feeds. Here, we test the nutrient balancing hypothesis by assessing potential effects that the ingestion of such crops by Alces alces (moose) may have on forage intake. We predicted that moose compensate for an imbalanced intake of excess NC by selecting tree forage with macro‐nutritional content better suited for their rumen microbiome during wintertime. We applied DNA metabarcoding to identify plants in fecal and rumen content from the same moose during winter in Sweden. We found that the concentration of NC‐rich crops in feces predicted the presence of Picea abies (Norway spruce) in rumen samples. The finding is consistent with the prediction that moose use tree forage as a nutritionally complementary resource to balance their intake of NC‐rich foods, and that they ingested P. abies in particular (normally a forage rarely eaten by moose) because it was the most readily available tree. Our finding sheds new light on the foraging behavior of a model species in herbivore ecology, and on how habitat alterations by humans may change the behavior of wildlife.

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Does Bark Anatomy Influence the Selection of Woody Medicinal Plants in Seasonal Dry Forests from Brazil?

Elias,

Arruda,

Albuquerque

2024

Econ Bot

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Nutrient balancing or spring flush – What determines spruce bark stripping level by red deer?

Cited by 5 publications

References 45 publications

From the simulation of forest plantation dynamics to the quantification of bark-stripping damage by ungulates

From the simulation of forest plantation dynamics to the quantification of bark-stripping damage by ungulates

Increased intake of tree forage by moose is associated with intake of crops rich in nonstructural carbohydrates

Does Bark Anatomy Influence the Selection of Woody Medicinal Plants in Seasonal Dry Forests from Brazil?

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