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Canopy openness and exclusion of wild ungulates act synergistically to improve oak natural regeneration / Julien Barrere in Forest ecology and management, Vol 487 ([01/05/2021])  

Public [article]  inForest ecology and management > Vol 487 [01/05/2021] . - n° 118976 Titre : Canopy openness and exclusion of wild ungulates act synergistically to improve oak natural regeneration Type de document : Article/Communication Auteurs : Julien Barrere, Auteur ; Linda K. Petersson, Auteur ; Vincent Boulanger, Auteur ; et al., Auteur Année de publication : 2021 Article en page(s) : n° 118976 Note générale : bibliographie Langues : Anglais (eng) Descripteur : [Termes IGN] canopée [Termes IGN] Cervidae [Termes IGN] dynamique de la végétation [Termes IGN] France (administrative) [Termes IGN] gestion forestière [Termes IGN] Quercus pedunculata [Termes IGN] Quercus sessiliflora [Termes IGN] régénération (sylviculture) [Termes IGN] Suède [Vedettes matières IGN] Sylviculture Résumé : (auteur) The recruitment of forest trees is driven by both bottom-up processes (the acquisition of resources) and top-down processes (herbivory). To initiate stand regeneration, foresters commonly reduce tree density to increase light levels for seedlings and enhance primary productivity. These changes in vegetation dynamics, however, could also influence effects of ungulate browsing, resulting in unintended consequences for forest management. Here, we assessed how effects of ungulate exclusion and canopy opening interacted to affect the regeneration of two oak species: Quercus robur and Quercus petraea. We monitored the growth and survival of oak seedlings for two to three growth seasons in paired fenced and unfenced plots under contrasting conditions of canopy openness (8% to 52%) at five sites in southern Sweden and three sites in northeastern France. We scored browsing in the unfenced plots by the four cervids occurring in these areas (Alces alces, Capreolus capreolus, Cervus elaphus and Dama dama). Fencing increased the growth of (mostly taller) seedlings occurring in Sweden and the survival of (mostly smaller) seedlings in France. Both effects increased as canopies became more open. Browsing reduced oak seedling growth in both countries, independently of canopy openness. Canopy openness increased browsing levels in Sweden. Cervid densities did not appear to modify how fencing affected oak seedling growth and survival. In both contrasting forest environments, creating gaps tended to enhance ungulate damage on young forest stands as browsing frequency increased. We conclude that net forest regeneration reflects a subtle equilibrium between enhancing resource availability, boosting seedling growth, and limiting herbivory, which curtails seedling growth and survival. Numéro de notice : A2021-356 Affiliation des auteurs : non IGN Thématique : FORET Nature : Article DOI : 10.1016/j.foreco.2021.118976 Date de publication en ligne : 15/02/2021 En ligne : https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foreco.2021.118976 Format de la ressource électronique : URL article Permalink : https://documentation.ensg.eu/index.php?lvl=notice_display&id=97613 [article]