Open access publications in the SLU publication database

Political objectives of increased beef cattle production in Innlandet county will lead to an increased use of unproductive areas for cattle grazing, especially by specialized international beef cattle breeds. Cattle were bred to perform optimally on homogeneous, flat grasslands. In the forest, the habitat is highly heterogeneous, and grazing resources are patchily distributed and at lower concentrations. We have studied grazing behaviour, habitat selection and body growth of beef cattle in two study areas of southeast Norway. One area had a stocking density far below and the other well above the estimated grazing capacity. We used GPS-collars with activity sensors to monitor cattle movements every five or ten minutes throughout the summer grazing season. In addition, many cows and calves were weighted at release and homing. The cows used about one third of their time for grazing, but they adapted grazing time to the seasonally changing day length. In areas with a higher proportion of poor habitat, cattle had larger home ranges. Old summer farm meadows were the most preferred habitat type, followed by young forest stands younger than fifteen years. In the area of high stocking density, the animals additionally preferred habitat types of poorer grazing quality. For resting, the cattle preferred flat, grassy sites with canopy cover. Gain in body weight was highest for cows in the low stocking density area, while a higher proportion of cows at high stocking density lost weight during the grazing season. Earlymaturing breeds had highest increase in body weight in the area of low stocking density. Lactating cows had lower body weight gain, used smaller home ranges and spent more time grazing than dry cows. We conclude that international cattle breeds are suitable for beef production in the heterogenous environment of boreal forest pastures, given that the stocking density does not exceed the grazing capacity of the area. Further research should focus on positive and negative effects that grazing can have on biodiversity and other ecosystem services of the boreal forest, such as forestry, game harvest and tourism.