SVIBOR - Project code: 4-04-111

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Project code: 4-04-111


MANAGEMENT OF THE KARST FORESTS FOR THE PURPOSE OF CATTLE-BREEDING


Main researcher: TOPIĆ, VLADO (50244)



Assistants
Type of research: applied
Duration from: 01/01/91. to 12/30/95.

Papers on project (total): 4
Institution name: Institut za jadranske kulture i melioraciju krša, Split (91)
Department/Institute: Forestry department
Address: Put Duilova 11
City: 21000 - Split, Croatia
Communication
Phone: 385 (0)21 355-266, 355-582
Fax: 385 (0)21 554-616

Summary: The degraded forest areas on of the coastal part of the karst represent a vast land potential. It will be possible to convey only the part of these areas in the foreseeable time to the economic interesting production of the wood mass, while it is possible to use the other, greater part only for the need of cattle breeding. This utilisation should be done in a new modern way by which the forest fund will not only be preserved but also improved. These conditions can be only provided by forestry, which manages these areas. The former investigations done on this project show how the degraded forest areas are the important source of cattle feed: the leaf of some investigated species of trees and bushes is 30-50% more nutritious than the good meadow hay; the yield of dry leaf in the investigated types of devastated forest amounts to 15-30 q/ha and the yield of the grass mass on the carst grassland can by the simple prohibition of pasture be increased 3-11 times in a few years. In the submediterranean karst areas of Dalmatia the wood and leaf mass in the shrubs of hornbeam oriental was exactly established for the first time. The volume of wood varies from 15,38 to 18,10 m3/ha, and the volume of leaf from 3,51 to 4,41 m3/ha. The volume is conditioned by the heigh and covering of the shrub. On 19 May 1992 the experiment with cattle (goats) started and since then not only positive effect (browsing) on goats has been observed, but also the negative effect of goats on the forest and soil, which is the main purpose and aim of the future research.The damage on the plots done by grazing and browsing is great and they are in accordance with the production of biomass and the number of goats. Four goats browse on one ha 73 % of leaf mass or almost everything they can reach. A long year browsing causes the drying of Oak downy on shallow skelet soils. The entire growth of kids on milk and grassland during the period of 4 months is 21,7 kg a kid, and the average daily production of milk is 1,54 l a goat.

Keywords: Forest economy, karst, karst forest, production, nutritive value, types of forest, fodder, cattle breeding, goats, mediterranean karst area, experimental plots.

Research goals: The purpose of these investigations is to establish such way of management by which a greater and more qualitative production of cattle feed in forest can be ensured and on the other side to aim the development of forest vegetation in the progresive direction, so that it can better and entirely fulfil its beneficial functions of improvement and protection of ecosystem. The forest vegetation represent from ancient times the important source for cattle nourishment in all mediterannean countries, also on our karst areas. But unrational way of utilistion of forest for cattle breeding often resulted in full or very strong devastation of forest vegetation with all harmful consequences which accompany such devastation, first of all the soil erosion and impoverishment. The forest and agricultural science and practice occupied themselves very little with the problem of the relation of forest and cattle breeding. The forestry considered the exploiting of karst forest entirely from the aspect of wood mass production and the agriculture solved the problem of cattle breeding on the karst area mainly by improvement of breed of the livestock. The main problem on which the improvement of cattle breeding on karst areas depends - cattle feed - remained unsolved until present time. With regard to the considerable shortage of animal feed which can partly be made up for from the devastated forests and karst grassland, these investigations get a special significance. The results gained will give an insight into the production capability and value of forests and brushland to the cattle-breeding practice, which in the ecologic karst conditions have great importance for cattle feed. The most favourable form of forest will be shown to the forestry practice, which will meet the needs of cattle-breeding, provent the process of devastation and inprove production capability of soil.

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Last update: 10/11/95
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