Rooting for regeneration
Update on the Guisachan Wild Boar Project, November 2006
After a year, we're very pleased with how the project is coming on. We should have detailed information on the effects of
boar on bracken and other vegetation in the first half of next year.
A year on and we are very pleased with the work done by the boar in the enclosures. The boar have very obviously selected areas of bracken, or grasses and rushes, for rooting, in preference to areas dominated by a heather/blaeberry mix. Areas previously rooted by boar are starting to recover – grasses and rushes have come back, but the tender bracken shoots in the rooted areas tend to be grazed by the boar. We suspect that the bracken-dominated areas will gradually be replaced by grazed open areas of grasses. Thus the continued presence of the boar could lead to a very significant reduction in bracken without the loss of other species, which is exactly what is needed. The vegetation data has been gathered in, but not yet analysed, so the detailed effects should be available by March.
Three of this year’s young boar, just losing their striped coats in August.
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We had a good seed year from the pines, and now have good seedling regeneration in both the areas from which the boar have been removed and in the areas in which they are still present. However, we suspect that we will lose a lot of the pine seedlings over the next year from the activity of snouts and hooves, and it remains to be seen what percentage of them will survive. However, the point has definitely been proven – prior to the boar, pine regeneration was virtually zero! The thick moss layer or deep bracken litter across the whole enclosure was the reason for the lack of regeneration, not a shortage of pine seed.
It is too early yet to say definitely if it is better to use a high density of boar over a short period or say a much lower density of boar over a long period. However we are much closer to producing some workable guidelines for woodland managers who would like to use boar to either reduce bracken and/or to promote tree regeneration.
On the down side, the boar do cost quite a bit to keep, as well as requiring some maintenance, and the fencing is a considerable set-up cost. However, once up and running the feed costs will be easily balanced by the return from the sale of boar. Again, by March, guidelines will be produced on costs as well as a comparison with the costs of, for example, the more conventional methods of bracken control by cutting or spraying. The boar will also bark strip pines and expose their roots, and this has caused the loss of several trees. Interestingly enough though, the hardwoods (ie rowan and birch) have
been almost unaffected by this. Reducing group size and increasing the foraging area available to them appears to dramatically reduce this behaviour.
Birch regeneration has been incredible! It will be interesting to see whether this ‘numbers game’ pays off, through young birches becoming established in the presence of the boar.
We have also learnt quite a bit about moving and handling the boar, and now know more or less what to expect, although they can still surprise us. We find the boar just as fascinating and attractive as we did in December 2004 when we bought our sows. We still take great pleasure in re-introducing school children, family, friends, neighbours and Trees for Life volunteers to these dainty bulldozers, the natural answer to woodland disturbance!
Liz Balharry
The Guisachan Wild Boar Project is funded by HIE (Highlands and Islands Enterprise) and the European Community North Highland LEADER+ 2000-2006 Programme.
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