摘要：Factors that strongly affects the dynamics of ground vegetation in northern boreal forests are grazing and trampling by reindeers. Cladina stellaris, which is the main species of lichen in northern areas, is also an important food source for reindeer. The population of reindeer is high, and it has a considerable influence on the boreal forest ecosystems. In this study, we describe the reindeer herding effects on above- and below-ground vegetation and on soil carbon (C) content. We compared the changes on both sides of a fence that has excluded reindeer from one area for the last 50 years. As expected, in the grazed area there were significantly smaller amounts of lichens and other vegetation. Total above-ground biomass as well as that of trees was higher in the area where no reindeer grazing occurred. In the ungrazed area, the tree-diameter distribution was strongly skewed towards thinner trees. There was no significant effect of reindeer grazing on the soil C content.
