Effects of shelterwood and soil scarification on deer browsing on planted Norway spruce Picea abies L. (Karst) seedlings

The level of browsing damage to Norway spruce (Picea abies L. Karst) seedlings planted in shelterwoods was compared with the level of damage sustained on clearcuts in a large-scale experiment in southern Sweden. Prior to cutting, the forests contained a mixture of Norway spruce and Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.), while the shelterwoods were dominated by pine. Each shelterwood and clearcut was divided into an area where the ground was scarified before planting and an area where the ground was left untreated. During the winter of 1996-1997, one to two years after planting, 11.7 per cent of the spruce seedlings were browsed. Roe deer (Capreolus capreolus L.) were likely to have been responsible for most of the damage. There were no significant differences in the amount of damage between treatments. Bilberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.), which is often regarded as an important food source for roe deer during winter, was more common in shelterwoods than in clearcuts. Nevertheless, roe deer tended to be more abundant in clearcuts than in shelterwoods. Our results indicate that a choice between shelterwood and clearcut regeneration will only have a limited influence on the level of roe deer browsing damage the first years after clearcutting.