Scientific publications

Forest pastures are vanishing from Finland. The effects of grazing on environment are manifold. Vegetation and soil physical and chemical characteristics change, and if the grazing pressure is high, the influences may be detrimental. The changes in soil and vegetation are also reflected in other parts of the ecosystem. Family Carabidae (Arthropoda, Coleoptera) is a well known indicative group reflecting changes in overall environment to studies done in various biotopes. E.g., the species composition and number of species change when the openness of the biotope changes due to grazing.

This paper presents results from a forest grazing experiment performed in Tohmajфrvi, (North Karelia, Finland). A semi-natural meadow, a mixed forest and a birch forest paddock were sampled with pitfall traps during the third year of grazing. Three separate 12 x 12 m plots were fenced for control purposes from all three sections. All control and adjacent plots were sampled with 5 traps (90 traps together) during the whole season (23.5 - 4.10). Six cross-bred sucler cows with their calves were rotationally grazing on the paddocks.

Together 48 species and 3525 individuals were found from the area during the season. All of the species were quite common. Two most common species covered 40.7 per cent of the individuals. Mixed forest was clearly the most numerous as to individuals. This experiment shows that the number of individuals in forests increases due to grazing. In meadow plots the number of individuals was higher in control plots.

Also the number of species in grazed plots was mainly higher in forest.

In this experiment the grazing pressure was intentionally kept quite low, and the detrimental effects of nature weere not detected. Also the performance of animals was satisfactory. Grazing of sucler cows, thus, seems to be both economically and ecologically reasonable alternative for maintaining the diversity of meadows and increasing the diversity of traditional forest pastures.