Large herbivores that feed on seedlings of tree species delay the natural regeneration of a forest, and they influence the mixture of seedlings and the future composition of tree species. In this thesis we analysed the influence of selected habitat factors related to the type of relief on the rate of browsing damage of forest seedlings. We carried out measurements on 196 plots in GGE Grčarice and on some plots in GGE Stojna. Silver fir-beech forests predominate. We examined all seedlings on the plots by tree species, height and damage. We also assessed the ecological factors of the relief. We found that 58% of all seedlings were browsed by ungulates, most of them on flat relief (average 83%). The most severely browsed tree species was silver fir (Abies alba) with 72%, followed by sycamore maple (Acer pseudoplatanus) with 71%. Statistical analyses confirmed the correlation between the accessibility of the terrain and browsing damage to seedlings. With increasing inclination and accessibility of the terrain, the rate of damaged seedlings decreased. Browsing of seedlings increased with increasing distance to the ungulate cover up to a distance of approx. 30 m. The highest browsing was also observed at the lowest ungulate cover level. Both indicate increasing browsing with overall better visibility, which is probably due to the predominant browsing by red deer.
|
