Research Article

Application of sheep wool in preventing damage caused by deer in young forest plantations

Henryka Bernacka, Natasza Święcicka, Natalia Naworska

UTP University of Science and Technology, Bydgoszcz, Poland

1. Acta Sci. Pol. Zootechnica, 14(4), 2015, 5‒14

Abstract. The aim of this study was to test the effectiveness of sheep wool used as a repellent to protect forest plantations against damages caused by browsing deer. The analysis involved forest plantations protected with the wool of Wrzosówka sheep as well as other plantations. The degree of damage was determined according to documented percentage of damaged plants: up to 20%, from 21 to 50% and more than 50% of damaged shoot tops. In the forest plantations that were unprotected with wool, the surface of deer-made damages increased from year to year, from 60.6 ha in 2008 to 272.71 ha in 2011. The damages were varied in terms of degree and number of damaged shoots of the seedlings. Application of sheep wool in forest plantation protection may represent an alternative to noxious chemicals.

Keywords: sheep wool, forest plantations, repellent