Comparison of approaches for determining grazing capacity in forest rangelands: the case of Pisoderion forest Florina-Greece

The evaluation of benefits provided by the natural environment in the form of a quantification of natural capital is an effort that has intensified in recent years and links natural ecosystems with human evolution and society’s well-being. Ecosystem scientists and especially the foresters can study the management practices adopted so far and evaluate the policies implemented at various levels of administration (local, regional, national), involving issues of sustainability. False-alpine grasslands also known as summer grasslands or rangelands are mainly associated with transhumance. In the past, transhumance and graze were organized on a mainly family basis and there existed an informal management system for grazing, which was respected by all livestock farmers who used the summer pastures. Nomadic animal husbandry has disappeared, and with it a sense of respect for nature, the rangelands and, more generally, the environment. The aim of this paper is to assess the grazing capacity of rangelands in the Pisoderion Forest which is located at the region of Florina in Greece, under various specifications introduced by Forest Management Plans and relatively recent legislation. The grazing capacity that is theoretically expected following the specifications of previous Forest Management Plans is compared to grazing capacity according to the specifications introduced by relatively recent legislation. The conclusion that can be drawn is that the rangelands are underused and with an appropriate holistic management approach, such as the traditional system of dividing the forest grasslands into yards, the livestock capital can be doubled in these rangelands.