Abstract

1. Large wild herbivores are ecosystem engineers that alter vegetation structure and plant species composition, speed up nutrient cycling and act as dispersal vectors. While ecologically important, wild large herbivores can be perceived as competing with forestry interests. Browsing of tree saplings can impact forest growth, tree species diversity, the availability of harvestable woody biomass and timber as well as timber quality, which are vital resources for the bioeconomy. Forest management thus needs to balance silvicultural production with functioning ecosystems including large wild herbivores.
2. While local studies are common, patterns of browsing are rarely investigated in human-dominated landscapes on country scales. To bridge this gap, we combined Austria’s nationwide district level browsing monitoring with hunting statistics, wood harvest levels from forest inventories and remote sensing of forest types, land-cover diversity, and road density.
3. We found that higher shares of mixed and broadleaved forests, increasing wood harvest levels from low to medium and larger hunting bags per forest area are associated with increased browsing intensity. Conversely, greater land-cover diversity and road density are associated with lower browsing intensity.
4. Practical implications. Our results point to potential trade-offs for land use in the bioeconomy. Increasing wood harvest, especially where harvest is currently low, to meet increased demands could potentially intensify browsing. Mixed and broadleaved forests may possibly require protection to ensure regeneration of palatable tree species, which should not discourage diversification for climate change adaptation. In contrast, higher land-cover diversity may buffer browsing, possibly due to more permeable and favourable habitats, cautioning against agri- or silvicultural intensification that simplifies landscapes and thereby potentially amplifies browsing intensity.