AMBIO

, Volume 39, Issue 4, pp 269–278 | Cite as

Effects of Modern Forest Management on Winter Grazing Resources for Reindeer in Sweden

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Abstract

Boreal forests in Sweden are exploited in a number of ways, including forestry and reindeer husbandry. In the winter, reindeer feed mainly on lichens, and lichen-rich forests are a key resource in the herding system. Commercial forestry has mainly negative effects on reindeer husbandry, and conflicts between these two industries have escalated over the last century. This article reviews the effects of modern forest management practices on the winter resources available for reindeer husbandry. Forestry affects reindeer husbandry at both the stand level and the landscape level and over various time scales. Clear-cutting, site preparation, fertilization, short rotation times, and forest fragmentation have largely resulted in a reduced amount of ground growing and arboreal lichens and restricted access to resource. This article also discusses alternative forestry practices and approaches that could reduce the impacts of forestry on reindeer husbandry, both in the short and long term.

Keywords

Reindeer herding Lichens Forestry Boreal forest 
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Notes

Acknowledgment

This study was financed by Sveaskog, the Swedish Research Council for Environment, Agricultural Sciences and Spatial Planning, and by the Academy of Finland.

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Copyright information

© Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences 2010

Authors and Affiliations

  • Sonja Kivinen
    • 1
    • 2
  • Jon Moen
    • 2
  • Anna Berg
    • 3
  • Åsa Eriksson
    • 4
  1. 1.Department of GeographyUniversity of OuluOuluFinland
  2. 2.Department of Ecology and Environmental ScienceUmeå UniversityUmeåSweden
  3. 3.Department of Forest Ecology and ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeåSweden
  4. 4.Department of Forest Resource ManagementSwedish University of Agricultural SciencesUmeåSweden

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