Data and code used to study the effects of summer grazing cattle in boreal production forest on young spruce.

Description

The data was collected in Norway in 2021, 2022 and 2023 to study the effects of summer grazing cattle in boreal production forest on young spruce. We investigated positive cattle effects on annual spruce growth trough removing competing vegetation, as well as negative cattle effects on annual growth and death risk of spruce trees through browsing and trampling damages. We compared data from inside to outside the grazing area, and from during and outside the grazing season. The plot key file containes data on our sampling plots, such as plotID, coordinates, study area, graing area (inside/outside), fenced (yes/no) and forest productivity ("bonitet"). The spruce data file contains data on the marked spruce trees, such as treeID, plotvisitID, height, annual growth, death (yes/no), browsing and trampling damages (yes/no for each class). The tree data file contains data on young trees of all species, such as plotID, plotvisitID, tree species, height class and browsing class. The sward height files contain contain data on the field layer vegetation, such as frameID, plotID, year, height and dominating plant group. In the sward height script we modelled sward height in relation to grazing area (inside/ outside). In the tree density script we modelled the density of young trees in relation to grazing area (inside/outside). In the tree browsing script we modelled the probability of young trees of all different species being browsed in relation to grazing area (inside/outside) and season (summer/winter). In the browsed top script we modelled the probability of young spruce trees being browsed on the top shoot in relation to grazing area (inside/outside) and season (summer/winter). In the browsed side script we modelled the probability of young spruce trees being browsed on a side shoot in relation to grazing area (inside/outside) and season (summer/winter). In the bent script we modelled the probability of young spruce trees being bent in relation to grazing area (inside/outside) and season (summer/winter). In the damaged stem bark script we modelled the probability of young spruce trees being damaged on the stem bark in relation to grazing area (inside/outside) and season (summer/winter). In the spruce death script we modelled the probability of young spruce trees dying in relation to browsing and trampling signs during the past year. In addition, we modelled the probability of young spruce trees dying in relation to grazing area (inside/outside) and season (summer/winter). In the spruce growth script we modelled the annual growth of young spruce trees in relation to browsing and trampling signs during the past year, sward height and density of trees other than spruce. In addition, we modelled the annual growth of young spruce trees in relation to grazing area (inside/outside).

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