Renens fejskador på tall- och contortaplanteringar inom Malå samebys höst- och vinterbetesområden

Sammanfattning: The effects of Reindeer mechanical damages on the planted regeneration of Pinus sylvestris and Pinus contorta. Semi-domesticated reindeer can damage young trees. In late winter reindeer rub their antlers against young trees. The aim of this study was to quantify those damages. This study covered planted objects from three different areas in northeastern Sweden. The objects should be on private property, be in the Swedish County Forestry Boards database "Kotten", have an average height of maximum 3 m, be planted with Scots pine or Contorta between 1986-1993 and be on mesic or dry sites. 17 objects were chosen randomly for an inventory. A systematic sample plot inventory was done during the summer 2004 with 20 sample plots (r=2.82 m) per objects. The first sample plot was randomly chosen and the rest was located in a quadratic formation adapted to the size of the object. Only main stems were estimated. The number of undamaged main stems, light damaged (capable of development) and seriously damaged (not capable of development) head stems, type and level of damage and occurrence of lichens were recorded on each sample plot. On three objects damages of moose and other causes were investigated together with number of faecal and occurrence of lichens. From the beginning the purpose was also to investigate damages caused when reindeer dig in snow to reach lichens and when they walk in new regenerated areas. A pilot study done in July 2003 indicated the difficulty to identify those types of damages. Antler rubbing occurs on 5 of 17 objects. The average number of seriously damaged main stems on those objects was 14 and light damaged stems were 19 per hectare, corresponding to 0.8 and 0.6 % of vigorous main stems. The number of vigorous main is in average 2232. The damages occur often gathered and are not distributed all over the objects. The possibility to have those kinds of damages is 29 % and 12 % when the damage frequency is at least 1 % of the main stems. Also three objects with a lot of damages reported by the forest owner were investigated with the same method. They have much higher frequency of damages, 39, 18 and 2 % seriously damaged and 9, 19, and 11 % light damaged stems. The number of not damaged stems per hectare is 1676, 1250 and 1454 which is much more than required in the Swedish Forestry Act. The conclusion of this study is that reindeer antler rubbing against small trees is a very small problem for Swedish forestry. But -if this type of damage occurs, the consequence can be serious on a limited area.