Woodland Damage : Recognition of cause(2)

 

Birds
[enlarge image]
Birds Signs:Droppings, local bird-expert knowledge. Damage description: May shear off top of shoots and pick out buds. Leader damage by nesting birds e.g. pigeons in conifer plantations.

 

Sheep
[enlarge image]
Sheep Signs: Wool attached to coarse vegetation. Tracks are easily distinguished from deer tracks. Damage description: Browses seedlings and saplings. Cut end is usually flat across stem and a ragged end left. Bark can be stripped of stems.

 

Cattle, Horse, Goat
[enlarge image]
Cattle, Horse, Goat Signs: footprints, presence of dung. The smell of goats usually confirms their presence. Damage description: Bark stripping and browsing can be severe to all stages of growth. Damage can appear at higher levels as goats can and do climb. When cattle are present, soft ground may be poached causing waterlogging of roots as well as root damage.

 

Roe
[enlarge image]
Roe Signs: Tracks distinguishable from other deer. Droppings are cylindrical with rounded ends. Damage description: Bark frayed from stems and branches by buck will leave a smooth white wound with shreds of bark hanging from it and is often accompanied by a v shaped scrape on the ground at the base of the tree. Browsing damage similar to sheep.

 

Fallow, Sika, Red
[enlarge image]
Fallow, Sika & Red Signs: Tracks of Red similar to Sika and Fallow deer. Red use wallows around the autumn rut. Damage description: Can strip bark up to 3m above the ground from saplings up to mature trees. Browsing damage similar to sheep. Fraying from cleaning antlers can cause significant damage to saplings.
Mature trees can also be damaged by rubbing antlers.Can cause poaching in soft ground when numbers are high. ‘Bole scoring’ damage (associated with Sika) is deep scoring or gouging of bark by antlers resulting in resin bleeding.

[enlarge image]

fallow

sika, red