The influence of reindeer grazing and trampling on newly seeded fields in Finnmark, Norway

Abstract

In recent years, conflicts between reindeer herdsmen and resident farmers have increased in Finnmark, northern Norway. The causes of these conflicts vary, but one of the major causes is reindeer grazing and trampling on newly seeded fields in spring and early summer. I studied the effect reindeer have on the production of grass at harvesting time as a result of their grazing and trampling on newly seeded fields in early summer. Field experiments were conducted between June and September 2009 on a farmland at Sopnes in west Finnmark. Comparing grazed and ungrazed pastures when manipulated with two reindeer densities, crop reduction increased with increasing intensity of grazing and trampling. Two different ages of grass seeded with a three week interval showed no difference in tolerance towards reindeer grazing. Over-compensation is therefore expected under a relatively low grazing pressure on newly seeded fields. The grass along the fence where trampling was most prevalent appeared to overcompensate, opposite to expectation of more damage on heavily trampled pasture. Further studies focusing on the over-compensatory capacity of new seeded fields under a relatively low grazing intensive are required.