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Hunting and Forestry
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The hunting and forest industries are working closely together in order to prevent damage. An excessive number of game is the most common cause of bite and peeling damages. The main target is the conversion from a monoculture to a true to nature mixed forest with a variety of species.
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Hunting and forestry have to work together closely so that they can prevent damage to the forests. The most common damages found in the forest are bite, chewing and peeling injuries. On top of this, we also find clearing and knocking damages, which don‘t usually account for much from an economic and biological stand point. Bite and chewing damages are caused mostly by red and roe deer, hares and the fallow deer. Because of the large distribution and specific dietary demands, the roe deer cause the most bite damage. In order to keep a natural balance, co-operation between foresters and hunters has increased during the past few years. They have been observing things more carefully and informing each other about their observations. The primary damages incurred by bites is the devouring of seedlings, buds, leaves and shoots. Rabbits usually chew the thin bark off the trees. The most severe damage is done when the lead bud or shoot is eaten because it affects the overall growth and height of the plant. By peeling we mean stripping off the bark from the trunk. The main cause of this are the red deer. There is a difference in the damage caused by peeling by whether it is done in the summer or the winter. In the winter, the bark sticks firmly to the wood and can only be peeled off in small pieces. The bite marks from the deer can be seen clearly on the tree. If it happens in the summer, the deer can pull the bark off the tree in up to 1 meter long strips. If this happens in a circle around the trunk, the tree will die. Peeling damage is more common in the winter because of the limited amount of food available for the deer and is therefore of more importance economically. The effects of peeling are manifold and protection measures vary according to the species of tree. An excessive concentration of deer is the most common reason for peeling damage. For a sustainable forest, there should be an average of 8 roe deer and 1-2 red deer per 100 hectares. Inadequate hunting or unfavourable shooting plans have caused the population of the deer to increase to up to 20 roe deer per 100 hectares, who don‘t have enough to eat. Even the large coniferous forests planted in the 19th and 20th centuries, only offer a limited amount of food. The effects of intensive silviculture on the natural supply of feed for game, are especially seen in the decrease of mast trees like the oak, beech and wild fruit trees as well as the decrease of important soft leaved trees like the willow, mountain ash and aspen. The above reasons, led the foresters to adopt a new silviculture sanction at the end of the 20th century. The main objective is to convert the monoculture forests into natural mixed forests with an abundance of different trees. In order to limit damage done by game, a long range, stabile regulation of the deer population in the forests must be carried out by hunting. Unfortunately, the exact numbers are often missing.
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