Forest Regeneration and Tree Damage – How to Assess the Impact of Wild Ungulates?

Abstract Abundance of large game in Serbia is currently below the habitat’s potential, mostly due to negative anthropogenic factors. For this reason, fenced hunting grounds, commonly established in forests, serve as important habitats for the management of wild ungulates. Fenced hunting grounds are usually run by profit-oriented state forest enterprises, where game management is based on economic carrying capacity, requiring higher population densities. Such practices directly affect forest management, due to more frequent tree damage caused by wild ungulates. In order to provide a sustainable solution which would be acceptable to both foresters and wildlife managers, it is necessary to accurately estimate the impact of game species on forest regeneration. In this study, we propose an innovative research design for the Republic of Serbia, which is based on the use of both traditional and novel methods. Research was conducted in the fenced hunting grounds “Plavna” and “Ristovača”, both managed by the State enterprise “Vojvodinašume” during the period from autumn 2023 to summer 2024. In each hunting ground, two sample plots of the same size (9 x 9 m) were established next to each other, one fenced and one non-fenced, and monitored with trap cameras. In “Plavna”, the sample plots were in a poplar regeneration area, where the main game species are Red Deer (Cervus elaphus L.) and Wild Boar (Sus scrofa L.), while in “Ristovača”, the sample plots were located in an oak stand, where Fallow Deer (Dama dama L.) and Wild Boar are managed. Results indicate a significant difference between the number of seedlings and the extent of damage between fenced and non-fenced sample plots in both locations, as well as the presence of all three wild ungulate species recorded on trap cameras. However, game activities varied from browsing to passing by the sample plots. The obtained findings indicate the advantages of the applied methodology and provide useful information for estimating forest damage on large areas.