Grazing Ecology and Forest History

Grazing Ecology and Forest History PDF Author: F. W. M. Vera
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 9780851994420
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 506

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Book Description
It is a widely held belief that a climax vegetation of closed forest systems covered the lowlands of Central and Western Europe before man intervened in prehistoric times to develop agriculture. If this intervention had not taken place, the forest would still be there, and if left the grassland vegetation and fields now present would revert to a natural closed forest state, although with a reduced number of wild species. This book, which an updated and expanded version of the author's 1997 thesis (presented to the Wageningen University, Netherlands), challenges the traditional view, using examples from history, pollen analyses and studies on the ecology of tree and shrub species such as oak and hazel. It tests the hypothesis that the climax vegetation is a closed canopy forest, against the alternative hypothesis that species composition and vegetational succession were governed by large herbivores, and that the Central and Western European lowlands were covered by a park-like landscape consisting of grasslands, scrub, solitary trees and groves bordered by a mantle and fringe vegetation. Comparative information from the eastern USA is also included throughout the book (this was not present in the thesis), because the forests there are commonly regarded as being analogous to the primeval vegetation in Europe. The book is arranged in 7 chapters: (1) General introduction and formulation of the problem; (2) Succession, the climax forest and the role of large herbivores; (3) Palynology, the forest as climax in prehistoric times and the effects of humans; (4) The use of the wilderness from the Middle Ages up to 1900; (5) Spontaneous succession in forest reserves in the lowlands of Western and Central Europe - including examples from France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, Poland; (6) Establishment of trees and shrubs in relation to light and grazing; and (7) Final synthesis and conclusions. Twelve appendices are included giving further information, and there are 67 pages of references and a subject index.

Grazing Ecology and Forest History

Grazing Ecology and Forest History PDF Author: F. W. M. Vera
Publisher: CABI
ISBN: 9780851994420
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 506

Get Book

Book Description
It is a widely held belief that a climax vegetation of closed forest systems covered the lowlands of Central and Western Europe before man intervened in prehistoric times to develop agriculture. If this intervention had not taken place, the forest would still be there, and if left the grassland vegetation and fields now present would revert to a natural closed forest state, although with a reduced number of wild species. This book, which an updated and expanded version of the author's 1997 thesis (presented to the Wageningen University, Netherlands), challenges the traditional view, using examples from history, pollen analyses and studies on the ecology of tree and shrub species such as oak and hazel. It tests the hypothesis that the climax vegetation is a closed canopy forest, against the alternative hypothesis that species composition and vegetational succession were governed by large herbivores, and that the Central and Western European lowlands were covered by a park-like landscape consisting of grasslands, scrub, solitary trees and groves bordered by a mantle and fringe vegetation. Comparative information from the eastern USA is also included throughout the book (this was not present in the thesis), because the forests there are commonly regarded as being analogous to the primeval vegetation in Europe. The book is arranged in 7 chapters: (1) General introduction and formulation of the problem; (2) Succession, the climax forest and the role of large herbivores; (3) Palynology, the forest as climax in prehistoric times and the effects of humans; (4) The use of the wilderness from the Middle Ages up to 1900; (5) Spontaneous succession in forest reserves in the lowlands of Western and Central Europe - including examples from France, Germany, Austria, Slovenia, Sweden, Poland; (6) Establishment of trees and shrubs in relation to light and grazing; and (7) Final synthesis and conclusions. Twelve appendices are included giving further information, and there are 67 pages of references and a subject index.

U.S. Forest Service Grazing and Rangelands

U.S. Forest Service Grazing and Rangelands PDF Author: William D. Rowley
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Forest policy
Languages : en
Pages : 304

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Book Description
The early luxury of free forage on unclaimed western public domain allowed the building of fortunes in cattle and sheep and offered opportunities to successive waves of settlement. But the western public lands could not last. The range became overgrazed, overstocked, overcrowded. Animals were lost, much range was irreversible damaged, and even violence occurred as cowmen, sheepmen, and settlers competed for the best forage. Congress intervened by designating the U.S. Forest Service as the pioneer grazing control agency. The Forest Service's controls represent not only attempts to protect a resource but also a social experiment designed to prevent the monopolization of rangelands by large outfits and to encourage small enterprises. The Forest Service has become the undisputed leader in bringing order, rationality, and economic use to the range resources under government supervision. The problems and continuing challenges of the task emerge in these pages.

Grazing in Temperate Ecosystems

Grazing in Temperate Ecosystems PDF Author: R.J. Putman
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 9401160813
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 232

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Book Description
The New Forest in southern England is an area of mixed vegetation set aside as a Royal Hunting Forest in the eleventh century and since that time subjected to heavy grazing pressure from large herbivores. The entire structure of the Forest and its various communities has been developed under this continued history ofheavy grazing, with the estab lishment of a series of vegetational systems unique within the whole of Europe. The effects of large herbivores in the structuring of this eco system in the past, and the pressure of grazing continuing to this day, have in turn a profound influence, indeed the dominating influence, on the whole ecological functioning of the Forest system. Because of its assemblage of unique vegetation types, the area is clearly of tremendous ecological interest in its own right. In addition, its long history of heavy grazing ani the continued intense herbivore pressure make the New Forest an ideal study-site for evaluation of both short-term and long term effects of grazing upon temperate ecosystems. The N ew Forest (some 37,500 ha in total area) currently supports a population of approximately 2,500 wild deer (red, roe, sika and fallow); in addition 3,500 ponies and 2,000 domestic cattle are pastured on the Forest under Common Rights.

Responses of Plant Communities to Grazing in the Southwestern United States :

Responses of Plant Communities to Grazing in the Southwestern United States : PDF Author: Daniel G. Milchunas
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Grazing
Languages : en
Pages : 134

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Book Description


Grazing in Temperate Ecosystems

Grazing in Temperate Ecosystems PDF Author: R J Putman
Publisher:
ISBN: 9789401160827
Category :
Languages : en
Pages : 236

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Book Description


Restoration and History

Restoration and History PDF Author: Marcus Hall
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1135272115
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 348

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Book Description
Papers from a meeting of an interdisciplinary group of ecologists, geographers, anthropologists, sociologists, historians, and philosophers held July 2006 in Zurich, Switzerland.

Trees, Forested Landscapes and Grazing Animals

Trees, Forested Landscapes and Grazing Animals PDF Author: Ian D. Rotherham
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 0415626110
Category : History
Languages : en
Pages : 429

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Book Description
In this comprehensive book, the critical components of the European landscape - forest, parkland, and other grazed landscapes with trees are addressed. The book considers the history of grazed treed landscapes, of large grazing herbivores in Europe, and the implications of the past in shaping our environment today and in the future. Debates on the types of anciently grazed landscapes in Europe, and what they tell us about past and present ecology, have been especially topical and controversial recently. This treatment brings the current discussions and the latest research to a much wider audience. The book breaks new ground in broadening the scope of wood-pasture and woodland research to address sites and ecologies that have previously been overlooked but which hold potential keys to understanding landscape dynamics. Eminent contributors, including Oliver Rackham and Frans Vera, present a text which addresses the importance of history in understanding the past landscape, and the relevance of historical ecology and landscape studies in providing a future vision.

Historic Records Bearing on Agricultural and Grazing Ecology in Utah

Historic Records Bearing on Agricultural and Grazing Ecology in Utah PDF Author: George Stewart
Publisher:
ISBN:
Category : Agriculture
Languages : en
Pages : 14

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Book Description


Historical Ecology

Historical Ecology PDF Author: Guillaume Decocq
Publisher: John Wiley & Sons
ISBN: 1394169752
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 324

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Book Description
This book addresses present-day landscapes, ecosystem functioning and biodiversity as legacies of the past. It implements an interdisciplinary approach to understand how natural or human-impacted ecological systems have changed over time. Historical Ecology combines theory, methods, regional case studies and syntheses to provide a complete up-to-date overview of historical ecology. Beginning with the crucial role of time and inference from observed patterns, the book critically reviews the main methodological approaches, including monitoring of permanent plots, analysis of old maps, repeat photography, remote sensing, soil analysis, charcoal analysis, botanical indicators, and combinations of these methods applied to forest ecosystems. A series of case studies from various biomes shows how historical ecology can help in understanding today’s socio-ecosystems, such as mainland and island forests, orchards, tundra and coastal dunes. The book concludes by showing how historical ecology can answer timely fundamental research questions and provide science-based evidence for landscape and ecosystem management.

The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing

The Ecology of Browsing and Grazing PDF Author: Iain J. Gordon
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
ISBN: 3540724222
Category : Science
Languages : en
Pages : 341

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Book Description
This volume investigates how large herbivores not only influence the structure and distribution of the vegetation, but also affect nutrient flows and the responses of associated fauna. The mechanisms and processes underlying the herbivores' behavior, distribution, movement and direct impact on the vegetation are discussed in detail. It is shown that an understanding of plant/animal interactions can inform the management of large herbivores to integrate production and conservation in terrestrial systems.