Spatial heterogeneity of winter forest resources used by deer

Monitoring red deer (Cervus elaphus) and roe deer (Capreolus capreolus) pop ulations is a key aspect of wildlife management in Europe, so the utilizati on of resources must be considered. However, the spatial distribution of re sources used has often been overlooked. We studied spatial heterogeneity of winter forest resources used by deer and applied an indirect method to eva luate the browsing pressure of these cervids in a forest of the Cevennes Na tional Park (Lozere, France). We analyzed the pattern of browsing by princi pal component analysis (PCA) and graphical display. We demonstrated that he ather (Calluna vulgaris), bilberry (Vaccinium sp.) and beech (Fagus sylvati ca), which figured in more than 50% of the browsing observed, were unevenly consumed in the study area. Moreover, the deer consumed more beech outside high beech forest. Our methodology provides a helpful tool to monitor brow se-ungulate interaction by taking into account the availability of key brow se resources. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.