Light grazing mainly affects Oak, and in all three climate scenario s a Birch forest has developed at year hundred. However, Oak is still present in all three scenarios, and in the long term Oak is likely to dominate again, with the possible exception of the temperature scenario where Oak growth is very slow. The speed of succession and total biomass production show the same trend as in the non-grazing scenario runs. Under heavy grazing Oak is totally excluded, and Birch will eventually dominate. A rise in temperature decreases production, slows down succession, and changes the relative abundance of species.
Ungulate grazing is an integral part of forest development in the Netherlands.
This study indicates that the effects of climate change on species composition are most profound when grazing is light or absent. Under heavy grazing pressure climate change does not affect species composition. European forest and global change. The likely impact of rising CO2 and temperature. Cambridge University Press.