Bükkös felújítások szerepe a növényevő nagyvad táplálkozóterületeként.

Forest game damage lead to serious conflicts between forest and game managers, both in Hungary and worldwide. For forestry units the most important source of incomes is the logging. However, ungulates can have serious local browsing pressure on reforestation sites by their normal feeding activities. According to foresters the only way for reducing that damage is the radical decrease of number of large herbivorous game species (mainly red deer) in the forests. But for game managers a suitable level of ungulate density is necessary to gain incomes from hunting. As a consequence there is no agreement about the ecologically and economically sustainable ungulate density and impact. To decrease this difficult contradiction we need scientific data about the real browsing effect of large herbivores on forest vegetation of different characteristics. In this study we investigated the available food supply and the browsing effect of ungulates on artificial and natural beech regeneration sites of different ages. Density of beech saplings and number of available and browsed sprouts of all woody species present were estimated. We found significantly more beech saplings and sprouts and also higher browsing impact on beech in the natural than in artifical sites. Although we did not reveal a clear linear correlation, the highest browsing values (more than 20%) were detected when the proportion of the alternative food supply was less than 10 %. We propose to maintain natural species diversity in beech regeneration sites from the very first period for giving chance to ungulate species not to browse target tree species. Based on our results diverse woody vegetation can have a great importance not only in artificial single species beech regeneration sites, but even in case of natural beech regeneration

Ungulate impact on different beech regeneration sites

Forest game damages lead to a serious conflict between forest and game managers, both in Hungary and worldwide. For forestry units the most important source of incomes is the logging. However, ungulates can have serious local browsing pressure on reforestation sites by their normal feeding activities. Foresters believe that the only way for reducing that damage is the radical reduction of number of large herbivorous game species (mainly red deer) in the forest. But for game managers a suitable level of ungulate density is necessary to gain incomes from hunting. As a consequence there is no agreement about the ecologically and economically sustainable ungulate density and impact. To decrease this difficult contradiction we need scientific data about the real browsing effect of large herbivores on forest vegetation of different characteristics. In this study we investigated the available food supply and the browsing effect of ungulates on artificial and natural beech regeneration sites of different ages. Density of beech saplings and number of available and browsed sprouts of all woody species present were estimated. We found significantly more beech saplings and sprouts and also higher browsing impact on beech in the natural than in artifical sites. Although we did not reveal a clear linear correlation, the highest browsing values (more than 20%) were detected when the proportion of the alternative food supply was less than 10 %. We propose to maintain natural species diversity in beech regeneration sites from the very first period for giving chance to ungulate species not to browse target tree species. Based on our results diverse woody vegetation can have a great importance not only in artificial monospecies beech regeneration sites, but even in case of natural beech regeneration

Ungulate impact on different beech regeneration sites.

Forest game damages lead to a serious conflict between forest and game managers, both in Hungary and worldwide. For forestry units the most important source of incomes is the logging. However, ungulates can have serious local browsing pressure on reforestation sites by their normal feeding activities. Foresters believe that the only way for reducing that damage is the radical reduction of number of large herbivorous game species (mainly red deer) in the forest. But for game managers a suitable level of ungulate density is necessary to gain incomes from hunting. As a consequence there is no agreement about the ecologically and economically sustainable ungulate density and impact. To decrease this difficult contradiction we need scientific data about the real browsing effect of large herbivores on forest vegetation of different characteristics. In this study we investigated the available food supply and the browsing effect of ungulates on artificial and natural beech regeneration sites of different ages. Density of beech saplings and number of available and browsed sprouts of all woody species present were estimated. We found significantly more beech saplings and sprouts and also higher browsing impact on beech in the natural than in artifical sites. Although we did not reveal a clear linear correlation, the highest browsing values (more than 20%) were detected when the proportion of the alternative food supply was less than 10 %. We propose to maintain natural species diversity in beech regeneration sites from the very first period for giving chance to ungulate species not to browse target tree species. Based on our results diverse woody vegetation can have a great importance not only in artificial monospecies beech regeneration sites, but even in case of natural beech regeneration

Monitoring of ungulate impact in Hungarian forested Natura 2000 sites.

Ungulates have both, advantageous and disadvantageous effects in forest ecosystems. But predominantly, there is a one-sided negative opinion about their role and impact mainly based on economic damage caused by these game species. However, we should also always consider their ecological role in forested habitats as ecosystem engineers. We, therefore, aimed to establish a nationwide monitoring of ungulate impact assessing forest-ungulate interactions based on a reliable unified methodology. This monitoring includes measurements of understory woody plant supply and tree-trunk availability to and their utilisation by ungulates; moreover the estimation of forest regeneration and intensity of area use by ungulates. First field studies take place on special areas of conservation (SAC) in Mátra Mountains belonging to the Natura 2000 network and covering about 5000 hectares. Various forest stands will be examined along transects with 100 sample points in each SAC area to ensure the representativity of sampling. The collected data will characterize the relationships between the relative ungulate density and food availability to herbivores. In this way, the forest-game interactions can be also described. A new monitoring system based on our elaborated methodology will provide regular data from many parts of the Hungarian forests. The spatial and temporal comparisons of those values help us to understand how different ungulate species contribute to the maintenance of natural processes of our forest ecosystems

Monitoring of ungulate impact in Hungarian forested Natura 2000 sites

Ungulates have both, advantageous and disadvantageous effects in forest ecosystems. But predominantly, there is a one-sided negative opinion about their role and impact mainly based on economic damage caused by these game species. However, we should also always consider their ecological role in forested habitats as ecosystem engineers. We, therefore, aimed to establish a nationwide monitoring of ungulate impact assessing forest-ungulate interactions based on a reliable unified methodology. This monitoring includes measurements of understory woody plant supply and tree-trunk availability to and their utilisation by ungulates; moreover the estimation of forest regeneration and intensity of area use by ungulates. First field studies take place on special areas of conservation (SAC) in Mátra Mountains belonging to the Natura 2000 network and covering about 5000 hectares. Various forest stands will be examined along transects with 100 sample points in each SAC area to ensure the representativity of sampling. The collected data will characterize the relationships between the relative ungulate density and food availability to herbivores. In this way, the forest-game interactions can be also described. A new monitoring system based on our elaborated methodology will provide regular data from many parts of the Hungarian forests. The spatial and temporal comparisons of those values help us to understand how different ungulate species contribute to the maintenance of natural processes of our forest ecosystems

Ungulate impact on different beech regeneration sites

Forest game damages lead to a serious conflict between forest and game managers, both in Hungary and worldwide. For forestry units the most important source of incomes is the logging. However, ungulates can have serious local browsing pressure on reforestation sites by their normal feeding activities. Foresters believe that the only way for reducing that damage is the radical reduction of number of large herbivorous game species (mainly red deer) in the forest. But for game managers a suitable level of ungulate density is necessary to gain incomes from hunting. As a consequence there is no agreement about the ecologically and economically sustainable ungulate density and impact. To decrease this difficult contradiction we need scientific data about the real browsing effect of large herbivores on forest vegetation of different characteristics. In this study we investigated the available food supply and the browsing effect of ungulates on artificial and natural beech regeneration sites of different ages. Density of beech saplings and number of available and browsed sprouts of all woody species present were estimated. We found significantly more beech saplings and sprouts and also higher browsing impact on beech in the natural than in artifical sites. Although we did not reveal a clear linear correlation, the highest browsing values (more than 20%) were detected when the proportion of the alternative food supply was less than 10 %. We propose to maintain natural species diversity in beech regeneration sites from the very first period for giving chance to ungulate species not to browse target tree species. Based on our results diverse woody vegetation can have a great importance not only in artificial monospecies beech regeneration sites, but even in case of natural beech regeneration

Examination of the redox status of calves during the milk feeding period in a Hungarian large-scale dairy farm

During the milk feeding period (from birth to weaning, generally for 60-70 days), calves receive feed milk or milk replacer rich in both protein and energy. Young animals show intense physical development and growth. Intensive oxidative metabolic processes, inadequate antioxidant defense system, oxidative stress can develop, which adversely affects the health and productivity of calves due to its cell-damaging effects. This justifies continuous monitoring of the redox status of the animals during the calf rearing period for early detection of oxidative stress. This may provide a basis for targeted antioxidant treatments to reduce calf disease-related losses