An important new publication with substantial input from CHARTER researchers has landed which is a pilot study on the reindeer impact on soil carbon storage which revealed that animal impacts are very different for permafrost and non-permafrost areas but that they facilitate more productive vegetation. Titled ‘Impacts of Reindeer on Soil Carbon Storage in the Seasonally Frozen Ground of Northern Finland: A Pilot Study.
Researchers wanted to test the effect of reindeer husbandry on soil carbon storage, and analysed soil and vegetation properties in peatlands, and mixed pine and mountain birch forests. Notable was the transformation from dwarf shrub to graminoid dominated vegetation due to grazing and trampling.
The article was published in the journal ‘Boreal Environment Research and is open access and online and can be viewed-downloaded here.