Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer Population

Mid-forest meadows are integral to maintaining biodiversity and ecological services in forested landscapes but face degradation due to various reasons. This study evaluated the effectiveness of renovation methods on sward yield and herbage quality in two mid-forest meadows in northwestern Poland (54...

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Main Authors: Jędrzej Daszkiewicz, Piotr Goliński
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: MDPI AG 2025-01-01
Series:Agronomy
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/134
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author Jędrzej Daszkiewicz
Piotr Goliński
author_facet Jędrzej Daszkiewicz
Piotr Goliński
author_sort Jędrzej Daszkiewicz
collection DOAJ
description Mid-forest meadows are integral to maintaining biodiversity and ecological services in forested landscapes but face degradation due to various reasons. This study evaluated the effectiveness of renovation methods on sward yield and herbage quality in two mid-forest meadows in northwestern Poland (54°10′ N, 16°78′ E), aiming to maintain their function as the foraging areas for the free-living red deer population. The results indicated that overdrilling was insufficient to significantly enhance sward quality or productivity (with no significant differences in DM yield between treatment and control), largely due to competition with existing vegetation and suboptimal habitat conditions. The full tillage method, in combination with sowing dedicated seed mixtures, substantially improved the sward yielding and forage quality, especially in terms of DM yield (av. 7% on object W; 18% on object TD). The efficacy of renovation methods varied between experimental sites, suggesting that the renovation strategy of mid-forest meadows should be tailored according to the habitat conditions.
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spelling doaj-art-f3968f27eab44527afd905cafe5a9f8e2025-01-24T13:16:52ZengMDPI AGAgronomy2073-43952025-01-0115113410.3390/agronomy15010134Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer PopulationJędrzej Daszkiewicz0Piotr Goliński1Department of Grassland and Natural Landscape Sciences, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Dojazd 11, 60-632 Poznań, PolandDepartment of Grassland and Natural Landscape Sciences, Poznan University of Life Sciences, Dojazd 11, 60-632 Poznań, PolandMid-forest meadows are integral to maintaining biodiversity and ecological services in forested landscapes but face degradation due to various reasons. This study evaluated the effectiveness of renovation methods on sward yield and herbage quality in two mid-forest meadows in northwestern Poland (54°10′ N, 16°78′ E), aiming to maintain their function as the foraging areas for the free-living red deer population. The results indicated that overdrilling was insufficient to significantly enhance sward quality or productivity (with no significant differences in DM yield between treatment and control), largely due to competition with existing vegetation and suboptimal habitat conditions. The full tillage method, in combination with sowing dedicated seed mixtures, substantially improved the sward yielding and forage quality, especially in terms of DM yield (av. 7% on object W; 18% on object TD). The efficacy of renovation methods varied between experimental sites, suggesting that the renovation strategy of mid-forest meadows should be tailored according to the habitat conditions.https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/134mid-forest meadowsseed mixturequality of herbagerenovationyield
spellingShingle Jędrzej Daszkiewicz
Piotr Goliński
Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer Population
Agronomy
mid-forest meadows
seed mixture
quality of herbage
renovation
yield
title Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer Population
title_full Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer Population
title_fullStr Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer Population
title_full_unstemmed Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer Population
title_short Effect of Different Renovation Methods on the Productivity of Mid-Forest Meadows as Foraging Areas for Free-Living Red Deer Population
title_sort effect of different renovation methods on the productivity of mid forest meadows as foraging areas for free living red deer population
topic mid-forest meadows
seed mixture
quality of herbage
renovation
yield
url https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4395/15/1/134
work_keys_str_mv AT jedrzejdaszkiewicz effectofdifferentrenovationmethodsontheproductivityofmidforestmeadowsasforagingareasforfreelivingreddeerpopulation
AT piotrgolinski effectofdifferentrenovationmethodsontheproductivityofmidforestmeadowsasforagingareasforfreelivingreddeerpopulation