Effects of modern forest management on winter grazing resources for reindeer in Sweden.
Boreal forests in Sweden are exploited in a number of ways, including forestry and reindeer husbandry. In the winter, reindeer feed mainly on lichens, and lichen-rich forests are a key resource in the herding system. Commercial forestry has mainly negative effects on reindeer husbandry, and conflicts between these two industries have escalated over the last century. This article reviews the effects of modern forest management practices on the winter resources available for reindeer husbandry. Forestry affects reindeer husbandry at both the stand level and the landscape level and over various time scales. Clear-cutting, site preparation, fertilization, short rotation times, and forest fragmentation have largely resulted in a reduced amount of ground growing and arboreal lichens and restricted access to resource. This article also discusses alternative forestry practices and approaches that could reduce the impacts of forestry on reindeer husbandry, both in the short and long-term.
Kivinen
Sonja
S
Department of Geography, University of Oulu, Finland. sonja.kivinen@oulu.fi
Moen
Jon
J
Berg
Anna
A
Eriksson
Asa
A
D000818:Animals; D017753:Ecosystem; D016468:Forestry; D012053:Reindeer; D012621:Seasons; D013548:Sweden
Ann Bot. 2007 May;99(5):877-84
17452379
Oecologia. 2003 Jan;134(2):176-81
12647157
Ambio. 2003 Sep;32(6):397-402
14627368
Ambio. 2008 Jun;37(4):304-11
18686511
Environ Manage. 2012 Feb;49(2):295-304
22102063