Helena Haakana, Juho Matala, Saija Huuskonen, Kari T. Korhonen, Ari Nikula, Minna Räty. (2026). Impact of moose damage on the development of Scots pine seedling stands based on the National Forest Inventory of Finland. Silva Fennica vol. 60 no. 4 article id 25034. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.25034

Keywords: Pinus sylvestris; Alces alces; tree species composition; browsing damage; monitoring forest damage; Scots pine regeneration

Highlights: Moose damage increased slightly from 5.2% to 6.1% of Finland’s forests available for wood production over the past two decades; Remeasurements on permanent sample plots showed that moose damage affected 44% of the area of young seedling stands artificially regenerated for Scots pine; Moose damage resulted in a shift in the dominant tree species on 23% of this damaged area.

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In Fennoscandia, moose (Alces alces L.) browsing significantly damages commercial forests, influencing tree species composition and seedling growth. We examined the long-term development of moose-damaged forests in Finland, focusing on seedling stands artificially regenerated for Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.). The analysis used National Forest Inventory (NFI) data from four consecutive five-year periods (2004–2023). Remeasured permanent sample plots were used to compare the development of damaged and undamaged stands. The total area affected by moose increased from 0.966 to 1.116 million hectares over the four NFI cycles. Of this, 61% was significantly damaged, indicating reduced silvicultural quality, and the proportion was higher in the north. Among young seedling stands recorded in the first inventory as being artificially regenerated for Scots pine, moose damage affected 44% of their total area nationwide over the study period, with a higher proportion in the south. Moose browsing frequently shifted the dominant tree species from Scots pine to downy birch (Betula pubescens Ehrh.) and, secondarily, Norway spruce (Picea abies (L.) H. Karst.). Where notable or severe damage was observed in the first inventory, crop seedling numbers remained lower throughout the study. Our findings show that moose browsing has long-term effects on tree species composition and stand structure, including mean height, mean diameter, and density. Damage patterns vary regionally and by stand characteristics, although many previously affected stands show recovery or reduced impacts. Large-scale monitoring systems such as NFIs provide long-term data for detecting changes in browsing intensity and vegetation, thereby supporting forest and wildlife management.

Haakana, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), P.O. Box 2, FI-00791 Helsinki, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4830-800X E-mail: helena.haakana@luke.fi
Matala, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Yliopistokatu 6, FI-80100 Joensuu, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5867-5057 E-mail: juho.matala@luke.fi
Huuskonen, Metsähallitus, Forestry Ltd. P.O. Box 80, FI-00521 Helsinki, Finland E-mail: saija.huuskonen@metsa.fi
Korhonen, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Yliopistokatu 6, FI-80100 Joensuu, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6198-853X E-mail: kari.t.korhonen@luke.fi
Nikula, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), Ounasjoentie 6, FI-96200 Rovaniemi, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8372-8440 E-mail: ari.nikula@luke.fi
Räty, Natural Resources Institute Finland (Luke), P.O. Box 2, FI-00791 Helsinki, Finland https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9898-8712 E-mail: minna.raty@luke.fi

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