Jan 26, 2016

(Wildschadensbericht 2014)

Game damage in forests (browsing, fraying and bark stripping) is still on such a high level that causes serious concern. It is now also a topic in the National Council of Austria.

The high damage levels have resulted in a changed policy so that the annual game damage report not only has to be published in the WWW, but also has to be submitted to the National Council.

The raised interest on this report is hopefully signaling increased efforts to solve the game-forest conflict

The report shows that in 2/3 of Austria’s districts more than 50% of the area has a strong game influence. In nearly ¼ of the districts, even 75% of forested area shows strong game influence. The tendency is still increasing…..

The regeneration timespan will increase, sensitive tree species will disappear or growth rates will slow down to a point where it is a competition disadvantage. Loss of stable tree species and regeneration deficits are of concern for timber production, stable and resilient forests, forest biodiversity and of very special concern in mountain protection forests.

2014 Report, including suggested activities: www.bmlfuw.gv.at/forst/oesterreich-wald/waldzustand/Wildschadensbericht.html