Abstract
Natural disturbances, like those caused by fires or large herbivores, can strongly affect forest ecosystems. Managers can emulate such disturbance effects, for example, with prescribed fire or domestic livestock. This might benefit species of conservation importance, including capercaillie Tetrao urogallus. We tested this idea using two management trials in a Scots pine Pinus sylvestris forest in Scotland. One trial (blocked design with 25 replicates) in small plots (0.07 ha) tested the effects of prescribed burning or mowing alongside a control. The other compared cattle grazing in two large plots (6 ha and 14 ha) with a control. We measured capercaillie habitat quality indicators, namely, in both trials: cover of bilberry Vaccinium myrtillus; and in the burning and mowing trial: biomass of arthropods taken by capercaillie chicks, and capercaillie dung. Monitoring took place before treatments, and afterwards over a 12–13 year period. Bilberry cover increased following burning and mowing, peaking at 1.4 times control values, six years post-treatment. In one of the cattle plots, similar bilberry increases were recorded throughout the post-treatment period. However, the other cattle plot showed no such change, perhaps reflecting different competitive interactions among field layer plants. Capercaillie dung and spider biomass increased markedly in burnt and mown areas, and ant biomass just in burnt areas. Unexpectedly, bilberry also increased strongly in control areas of both trials, reflecting wider successional changes. Our results suggest that any of these techniques could be used to improve capercaillie habitat quality, but should be delivered alongside monitoring, so that their effects can be evaluated in particular contexts.
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The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, upon reasonable request.
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Acknowledgements
We gratefully acknowledge the contributions of Andy Amphlett, Alistair Hamilton, Colin Legg, Colin McClean, Jeremy Roberts, Ron Summers, Stuart Taylor and Jeremy Wilson to the conception and setting up of this work. Desmond Dugan and Bob Moncrieff led the development and implementation of management prescriptions; in the case of prescribed burning within woodland, this was highly novel in a UK context. Key field staff heavily involved in gathering monitoring data in the early years of the study were Bob Proctor and Johanna Willi. Ellie Dimambro-Denson collated and set out the fixed point photographs included in the Appendix; Chris Tilbury assisted with photography in the field. We thank two anonymous reviewers for useful comments and suggestions which helped us improve this manuscript. The work was funded by the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), the government nature agency Scottish Natural Heritage (now, NatureScot) and the European Union LIFE programme.
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This work was funded by RSPB, the government nature conservation agency Scottish Natural Heritage (now, NatureScot) and the European Union Life programme.
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MHH led the study, with support from NRC. MHH, PG and GM carried out the data collection (with some assistance as acknowledged). MHH, PG and PRG analysed the data and drafted the methods and results sections. PRG drafted the introduction and discussion sections. All authors reviewed, revised and finalised the manuscript.
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Hancock, M.H., Gullett, P.R., Golder, P. et al. Emulating natural disturbances with trial management in Scotland: effects of burning, mowing and cattle on habitat measures important for capercaillie Tetrao urogallus. Eur J Forest Res 142, 593–609 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-023-01544-1
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10342-023-01544-1