Effect of Passage Forest on Sika Deer

27 Mar Effect of Passage Forest on Sika Deer

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Abstract

English Abstract

Effect of passage forests on sika (Cervus nippon) was examined by deer-trail mapping in Omote-Nikko, Tochigi Prefecture, from May 1973 to October 1974. The study area embraced about 80 ha. The passage forest was a striped larch (Larix leptolepis) forest less than 50m wide, remaining uncutted in clear-cut area. Deer-trail density was the highest in the edges between the middle-aged larch plantations and the young. The next highest density was in the passage forests. The lowest density was in the middle-aged larch plantations. Among the young-aged larch plantations, the density was not significantly different. Of three passage forests in the area, two were surrounded with a vehicle road, cliffs and steep slopes. In those passage forests with such interfering factors, deer-trail concentration was not clearly observed. However, after snowfall, deer footprints were abundantly appeared in the passage forests, the forest edges and the oak forests along a gully, but scarecely in the young- and the middle-aged larch plantation. Those high densities of deer-trail in the forest edges and the passage forests were seemingly caused by“edge-effect”.