THE IMPACT OF FOREST MANAGEMENT ON MOOSE ABUNDANCE AND DISTRIBUTION IN EASTERN FENNOSCANDIA

The article analyzes the impact of forest management (primarily industrial logging) on the habitat structure and territorial distribution of the moose ( Alces alces (Linnaeus)) in the taiga landscapes of Eastern Fennoscandia (Eastern Finland and the Republic of Karelia). Materials of population counts (Winter Track Account) and forest inventory data were used. Higher population values are noted in the landscapes of the western part of the studied region that are intensively used by the forestry industry. A positive relationship is noted between the Winter Track Account index and the representation of deciduous and mixed young stands ( R = 0.30-0.45) and a consistently negative relationship with the proportion of bog area ( R = -0.78; p < 0.01). There are significant differences in the patterns of moose distribution in different parts of the studied region. The results of modeling the territorial distribution of moose depending on the habitat structure are considered: step-by-step multiple regression analysis of the influence of natural and anthropogenic factors. The calculations used 17 independent variables characterizing the structure of forest vegetation, and the index of Winter Track Account of moose as a dependent variable. In statistical models of multiple regression, the effective regressors are the proportion of mature forests, the representation of open bogs, the proportion of agricultural lands, the proportion of secondary middle-aged forests and the proportion of clear-cuts. Anthropogenic transformation of forest landscapes generally has a positive effect on the number and distribution of the moose population, especially in the early stages of forest industry development of taiga forest. At the same time, not only forest management, but also other forms of anthropogenic impact have a significant impact (ambiguous in the border regions of the two countries).