Bark stripping damage by red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) in the fenced rearing centre “Lomnicka Reka“

Dragan Gacic,Predrag Cirovic,Milorad Danilovic,Goran Zubic

doi:10.2298/gsf1205035g

Dragan Gacic, Predrag Cirovic + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.2298/gsf1205035g

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Abstract

Bark stripping damage is a serious problem in some forest hunting grounds in Serbia. This study aimed at assessing the incidence and intensity of bark stripping by red deer in the fenced rearing centre ?Lomnicka Reka? (Mt. Veliki Jastrebac, central Serbia). The data were collected by detailed surveying of the entire rearing centre over spring and autumn 2008, 2009 and 2010. Our results show that, in spring and summer, it is exclusively broadleaf tree species that are bark stripped by red deer, mainly beech (86.3% or 536 trees) and hornbeam (10.1% or 63 trees). The incidence and intensity of bark stripping were the highest in the diameter class of 20-39.9 cm. Damaged trees were identified in all parts of the rearing centre, at all aspects and at different slopes. Beech bark was stripped over the period May-August, with the focus in June or July.

Highlights

Red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) regularly strips bark of forest trees in many parts of Europe, e.g. Slovenia (Jerina et al, 2008), Austria (Vo spernik, 2006), Czech Republic (Čermák et al, 2004), Slovakia (Rajský et al, 2008), Great Britain (G i l l et al, 2000), Germany (Kiffner et al, 2007) and France (Saint - Andrieux et al, 2009)
Bark stripping intensity, which is expressed by wound sizes on individual trees, was significantly higher in spring, when there were 192 ring-barked trees (x=32.0 cm, min-max=5.0-60.0 cm), which accounts for 30.9% of the total number of stem damaged trees
Our results show that in the rearing centre “Lomnička Reka“ during spring and summer, red deer exclusively removed the bark from broadleaf species, primarily beech and hornbeam (86.3% i.e. 10.1% respectively of the total number of damaged trees)

Summary

Introduction

Red deer (Cervus elaphus L.) regularly strips bark of forest trees in many parts of Europe, e.g. Slovenia (Jerina et al, 2008), Austria (Vo spernik , 2006), Czech Republic (Čermák et al, 2004), Slovakia (Rajský et al, 2008), Great Britain (G i l l et al, 2000), Germany (Kiffner et al, 2007) and France (Saint - Andrieux et al, 2009). There are two basic hypotheses which try to explain the bark stripping damage (G i l l , 1992, Ve rheyden et al, 2006, Saint - Andrieux et al, 2009): 1) the value of bark as food; and 2) the use of bark for digestion improvement, to establish the balance in the rumen (maintenance of pH level), or to provide protection from parasites. Cer (1998), “Valmište“ on the fringe of the Vlasina plateau (2000), and “Bukovik“ near Sokobanja (2005)

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