Capercaillie in Vosges. Joint Report

ARCH Nature Exchange 9
Capercaillie in the Vosges Mountains, France
Authors
Graeme Findlay (FCS)
Malcolm Hobson (FCS)
Susan Haysom (SNH)
Pete Mayhew (RSPB)
Ian Perks (RSPB)
Rebekah Mayhew (RSPB; report editor)
Introduction: Rebekah Mayhew
The exchange was hosted by Arnaud Hurstel of Groupe Tetras Vosges (GTV) in France. The
purpose of the trip was to look at the status of the capercaillie population in the Vosges
Mountains and the LIFE project “Forests for Capercaillie in the Vosges”. We visited several
capercaillie sites, including Special Protection Areas (Natura 2000) and National Nature
Reserves for capercaillie, as well as state and private forests within the Vosges. During these
site visits we met many people that were actively involved in capercaillie conservation. The main
topics that were discussed were conservation and management measures for capercaillie with
regard to forest biodiversity, timber production, recreational activities, tourism and hunting.
This report gives a daily account from the participants of each day’s discussions.
Day 1: Susan Haysom
On arrival to Munster on Monday evening, Arnaud provided an outline of the situation for
capercaillie in the Vosges mountains. The Vosges population is separate from the Black Forest
and Jura populations and the current population estimate is 140 birds (up from the low of 100).
Capercaillie are only present above 700m a.s.l.
Habitat degradation and fragmentation, and disturbance were thought to be the cause of the
capercaillie decline.
The Natural Park, Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons des Vosges, is heavily disturbed. Within
the park, 4000km2, there are estimated to be 16,000km of marked trails. There are three major
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cities and many large towns surrounding the small mountain area, with recreational pressure
predominantly coming from walkers and hunters.
Photo: 1) Hotel de la Cigogne, Munster. 2) Munster.
Day 2: Susan Haysom
The scene setting continued during our first full day. In the morning we received three
presentations in the Natural Park office in Munster followed by group discussion and an
afternoon site visit.
Presentation on GTV & capercaillie in the Vosges mountains, Arnaud Hurstel
GTV (‘Association for the preservation of grouse and their habitats in the Vosges’) was created
in 1979 by ornithologists and foresters interested in conservation and capercaillie. They
organised and undertook monitoring and officially became an NGO in 1990. However, even
before then they worked unofficially with foresters by monitoring and recommending some forest
management measures. Initially a network of volunteers, the first member of staff was employed
in 1995, the second in 2009; there are now around 100 members of which 20 – 30 are active
volunteers.
Three types of monitoring are undertaken: -
winter monitoring – tracks and droppings to identify wintering areas.
leks – males and females counted at leks.
summer – survival, identification of brood rearing sites and, eventually, to get an
idea of productivity (they don’t have dogs so together with a very small
population it’s hard to find hens with chicks).
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Capercaillie have shown a continuous decline from the 1970s. A population increase was
observed in protected areas (where disturbance and forest management measures have
occurred) in 2010. The good weather (very hot and dry late spring and summer) in 2003 and
2004 was thought to be potential influencing factors in the increase.
Maps of historical distribution showed a range contraction between 1975 and 2010. Initially it
was postulated that there was no exchange between the southern, northern and western nuclei
but DNA analysis of droppings has contradicted this and shown that males move up to 20km
between leks and also that lek counts can underestimate numbers by up to half.
The Life+ Project ‘Forests for Capercaillie’ 2010 – 2013, Marie-Claire Gomez, Région Lorraine
The public local authority, Regional Council of Lorraine, developed an action plan for
capercaillie that GTV, Région Alsace, and the Natural Park signed up to. A management plan
was proposed in 2008 and developed into the Life proposal (€2,733,040).
Co-ordinating beneficiary: Regional Council of Lorraine 25%
Associated beneficiaries: Regional Council of Alsace; Natural Park; GTV 18%
Co-financiers: EC and French Government 57%
Technical partners: National Office of Forests and Hiking Federation
The project has 3 major elements: -
preserve favourable habitats (old forests) and their connectivity.
re-establish quiet areas to limit disturbance.
communication with professionals and public.
Associated monitoring actions include capercaillie monitoring during breeding period in winter
and summer, and a study of spatial use of capercaillie from non-invasive genetic sampling.
1) Set up areas of old forests which belong to municipals1
The aim is to let forest mature with large timber. Forestry is limited or stopped for 30 years.
Compensation for villages is €2000 per ha if felling is limited or €4000 per ha if felling is
stopped. This is often not full compensation of the value lost but may be done over just a small
proportion of a forest owner’s holding.
Results in 2012: 28 villages involved (only 3 or 4 said no), 530 ha signed in Lorraine and Alsace
(in 5 – 90 ha blocks) and 210 ha on way to completion. The target is 800 ha by the end of 2013.
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Natura can work with state forests but the Life project can’t.
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2) Limit disturbance in the most sensitive areas (breeding areas, nests, etc.)
The aim is to limit disturbance caused by tourism and leisure activities (hiking, quad biking,
snowshoes). The Life project pays for works to close or divert some trails and to install some
interpretive/advisory panels for the public (the panels do not mention capercaillie specifically as
they don’t want to advertise capercaillie presence).
Results in 2012: some trails in Lorraine have been closed to motorised vehicles using barriers;
one quiet area of around 300ha has been re-established in Alsace.
3) Communication with foresters to combine forestry and biodiversity
Results in 2012: production of a guidebook for favourable forest management for capercaillie;
training sessions to apply the guidance in the guidebook; training sessions to learn how to
recognise signs of capercaillie presence (tracks, feathers, etc.) in order to increase the network
of information providers2.
Public attitude in the villages – people think it’s good if there are capercaillie in the forest but
don’t care if they’re lost. They’re difficult to see, not productive and not a problem in the forest.
They have previously been perceived as a problem bird as it was thought to have prevented
people from going to the forest and put a stop to projects. An open day was held in the forest
with stands distributing documents and a school project worked on forest subjects e.g. drawing,
video on capercaillie, books, games. Teachers have asked for another project challenge next
year. This is seen as having been successful and that it might be better to work with children. A
children’s book on capercaillie has been produced (part of a series).
The expected results of the LIFE project are increased knowledge of population movements;
increased proportion of good habitats and their connectivity; increased proportion of quiet areas.
This will allow the development of adapted forest management for capercaillie. Long-term
expected consequences are increased population size (aiming for 500 i.e. Minimum Viable
Population, but also want new leks to increase the distribution area); re-colonisation of previous
range; colonisation of new areas.
Natura 2000 and Capercaillie, Jacky Véret & Antoine André, Parc Naturel Régional des Ballons
des Vosges
In France the classification of Natura 2000 sites is based on consultation (all stakeholders have
to agree with the proposal) and there are no special laws on Natura sites.
Natural Park staff draw up a target document for each Natura site, there are three parts to it
each of which has its own consultation. A socio-economic diagnosis leads to the identification of
socio-economic targets (e.g. forest management, skiing, leisure, hunting) and an ecological
diagnosis that leads to conservation targets and from these objectives are defined (all with goal
to increase population, habitat, etc.) and management measures identified (which may include
2
Both types of training sessions will continue to run after the Life project.
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measures which have a negative impact on socio-economics, in which case compensation is
provided by France/EU). Natural Park staff propose management measures and if owners
agree they draw up a contract.
The Natural Park is managed by all the villages and towns that decide to be part of the park. It is
4000 km2 in size and includes 33 Natura sites (7 people manage 20 of these): 52,500 ha SACs
& 44,400 ha SPAs.
There are three Natura sites for capercaillie in the Vosges Mountain Natural Park: -
ZPS Lorraine (264 km2) in the west
ZPS Alsace (237 km2) in the east (steeper slopes)
ZPS Franché-Comte (21 km2) in the south
There are nine Birds Directive species present: capercaillie, eagle owl, Tengmalm owl, black
woodpecker, honey buzzard, grey-headed woodpecker, pygmy owl, hazel grouse, red-backed
shrike; three are used as target species: red-backed shrike, peregrine falcon, capercaillie.
Prior to the 1960s/70s beech forest predominated. In 1964 the National Forest Office was
created and large-scale old forest cutting followed, old forest stands were reduced. Previously
there had been no forest roads but these were put in for harvesting (physical fragmentation) and
subsequently used for leisure activities (functional fragmentation).
The mountain is very popular with walkers in summer. Club Vosgien is a large club of hikers
who take responsibility for management of trails, signage etc.
Habitat fragmentation, disturbance, overgrazing (by roe deer, red deer, chamois), predation
(wild boar seen as a problem due to very high densities as a result of feeding by hunters; whilst
foxes and pine marten predation is accepted as natural; crows, supported by hiker waste, are a
new problem).
Capercaillie hunting was forbidden in Lorraine in 1973 and in Alsace in 1974. Hunting stopped a
couple of years before but in the run-up to the ban hunting increased as hunters wanted
trophies, e.g. 15 males shot by one hunter alone. This is likely to have contributed to the start of
the decline but data are limited. The population was thought to be around 1000 in 1964 and
around 500 (i.e. the minimum viable population) in 1975.
Wild boar hunting is a German hunting tradition practiced in Alsace. The hunters buy and sell
the hunting rights which are very expensive so only rich people can buy them. They come at the
weekend to hunt, and pay hunting guards to feed boar corn in the forest. The argument made is
that this prevents the boar from damaging the cornfields but the level of feeding has led to a
population increase (to the extent that boar are even breeding during the winter). Hunters were
asked to cease driven shooting (very noisy and uses untrained dogs) after December 2015 but
the proposal wasn’t accepted.
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GTV volunteers mapped3 the forest habitat (a Delphi expert knowledge process was used). 54%
unfavourable, 27% somewhat favourable, 15% favourable, 4% very favourable. The favourable
and very favourable habitats are only found in the Natural Reserve i.e. the three main nuclei of
the population. The main aim of management is to increase the amount of favourable habitats.
The capercaillie population has increased but the distribution range has decreased.
The main capercaillie habitat is beech and fir forest (with a higher proportion of fir) and some
areas of Scots pine. The best capercaillie habitat in Vosges is low regeneration forest linked
with peat bog presence (open, insect rich).
Conservation targets have been defined, the main three are: -
Improve forest management for capercaillie
Avoid disturbance
Regulate game population (i.e. avoid over-grazing)
The intervention strategy involves silvicultural zoning and quietness zoning. A prioritisation level
has been set for the silvicultural zoning: the actual distribution area (58%) has the highest
priority whilst the Zone de Gestion Adapte (42%) has a lower priority but the main aim still is to
improve the habitat.
Quietness zoning: -
32% ‘Quietitude’ – largely in the west, i.e. Lorraine, as more capercaillie present there.
The aim is to erase some trails.
47% ‘Canalisation’ – people are encouraged to stay on trails, especially in winter when
the birds are more sensitive to disturbance.
21% ‘Sensibilisation’ – where the habitat isn’t good and will never be (e.g. steep slopes)
or very highly disturbed areas where there’s no chance of change.
Maps of zones proposed and then different measures proposed to owners to improve habitat for
capercaillie. The two felling control measures previously described were reserved for highest
priority areas. Other measures, for which owners are paid, include removing excessive
regeneration and suppressing undesirable species, e.g. spruce on moorland.
Site visit to a forest within an SPA near Munster
The forest visited was a pine forest with excellent habitat but no capercaillie despite being only 4
– 5 km from the nearest lek. The postulated cause of this was disturbance. It was the site of
intense fighting in WWI and the remaining monuments are sites for historic tourism. The road
that allows easy access was put in after 1939.
3
These maps are considered confidential due to risk of disturbance from wildlife photographers but are
shared with stakeholders.
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It was noted that there wasn’t much deadwood. The target is for 3 biodiversity trees per ha (1
dead, 2 with cavities) – this is done in state forests but no obligation for village forests. In
discussion it was noted that the threshold for FSC certification was 12m3 per ha.
Climate change as a factor in capercaillie decline was discussed, in particular the apparent
paradox that at the same time pygmy owl, a northern species typical of taiga habitats, was
increasing.
Photo: 1)Scots pine forest with good levels of regeneration and excellent blaeberry field layer. 2) Deer damage to tree
but ground flora not heavily grazed.
Day 3: Malcolm Hobson
Leaving our hotel in Munster we wound our way up the mountain road to our meeting place in
the car park of the Massif du Taennchel SPA, at a height of approx 600m.
Here we met the state forester from the office Nationals des Foretes, Marc, who was to be our
guide, alongside Arnaud, for the day. We were then given an introduction to the area. The SPA
holds the most northerly population of capercaillie in the Alsace, and was designated due to its
importance for capercaillie. Most of the designated area is state forest with a few small parts
owned either by municipals (towns or villages) or privately.
The forest area consists of mainly beech and fir (Abies alba) with other species such as Norway
spruce, Maple and lime in small proportions. There are also areas of Scots pine with associated
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ground vegetation which is dominated by blaeberry. These areas are of particular importance
for capercaillie.
Due to the majority of the area being state forest, there is a reasonable amount of flexibility in
the management. This allows the forester to work closely with Arnaud and the group GTV to
implement silvicultural practices that will benefit capercaillie.
Disturbance was considered to be one of the biggest problems for this forest. There are large
numbers of walkers/hikers in the summer and, due to a high density of wild boar and red deer,
hunting causes further disturbance in the autumn.
One of the objectives in this area was to try to reduce the disturbance by creating three “Quiet”
areas, each of approximately 100ha. This has been done by means of reducing the number of
trails through the wood, and hence the number of people. Trails were being physically blocked
by either felling a tree over them or using other debris to create a barrier. The paths would then
hopefully re-vegetate and over time disappear. These measures were working to various
degrees with no major problems.
Following the introductory talk we taken on a walk around the forest to view the different
habitats found on the site.
Photo: 1) Start point of day and stand of Scots pine. 2) Discussion about forest management.
During our walk we stopped at a timber stack and discussed how the forest was managed. We
learned that the forester, assisted by a team of three others, managed the area which covered
approximately 1000ha. This was worked on a continuous cover system with what would be
described as a single tree selection system. There was no planting to replace felled trees; the
system relied on natural regeneration to provide replacement stock. We were told this method
worked very successfully.
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Photo: 1) Successful natural regeneration. 2) Continuous cover system with selective felling of trees.
The timber we viewed had all been felled manually and extracted with tractor and winch. It was
in pole or tree length which we were told was the main method of working on steeper sites.
Photo: 1) Discussion about felling methods. 2) Tree-length timber stacks.
Further up our route we were shown an example of where a path had been blocked, but
unfortunately it was obvious that it was still being used regularly. It was suggested that in a case
like this the addition of some appropriate and tactfully worded signage sometimes helped.
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Photo: 1) Tree felled to block path. 2) Another path that has remained opened.
As we dropped further down the hill we entered an area of municipal forest where we came
across an active harvesting operation. This consisted of manual felling and extraction in pole
length to the roadside by tractor and winch. The objective of this operation was to make money
and so larger trees were being targeted for removal. This was at odds with the
recommendations for best management for capercaillie, which aimed to retain the more mature
and larger trees.
Photo: 1) Timber extraction by tractor and winch. 2) Manual felling by chainsaw.
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Day 4: Graeme Findlay
The group travelled with Arnaud to the National Nature Reserve of Tanet-Gazon du Faing. This
area covers 505ha of beech, fir and spruce forest, with montane scrub, open moorland and
smaller areas of peat bog. The reserve sits at over 1000 metres a.s.l., with the highest point
reaching around 1300 metres. It is surrounded by three ski centres that offers winter sports and,
in the summer mountain biking. For the whole of Thursday we were joined by Manuel Lembke
who was director of Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels de Lorraine, a natural heritage NGO
that buys and manages natural reserves in the Lorraine region. Manuel was also a member of
GTV.
The site became a NNR in 1988, when the State designated it without any consultation or
comeback! The State continues to fund the management of the site by paying Conservatoire
des Espaces Naturels de Lorraine to warden it, with the owner’s only income now from leased
hunting of deer and boar. There are a total of two rangers employed by the organisation, with
80% of Manuel’s time spent on managing Natural Reserves and 50% of his colleagues. The
overall aim of the reserve is to maximise biodiversity, restore a natural landscape and manage
the moorland and capercaillie. It was noted that since the site had grazing removed in the
1970s, the vegetation has recovered and tree cover has increased. Some control of
regeneration may be required in the future if the moorland becomes threatened by the tree-line
extending further up the hill.
The area we were in had around two hundred and fifty thousand visitors a year, primarily for
hiking in the summer and cross country skiing in the winter. There are also around three million
people living within one hour of the NNR, which has the potential to create a high level of
disturbance if not managed sensitively. There is a public road that runs along near the top of the
plateau. This is a source of disturbance to capercaillie in the summer, through bringing visitors
into the reserve, but even in the winter when closed (deliberately) by snow, it is used as a cross
country ski trail. To help reduce the pressure of disturbance from capercaillie and other wildlife,
an area of 160ha has been designated a restricted zone by the State of Lorraine. This ‘zone
d’acces interdit’ is demarked by signs every 20 metres around the boundary, informing people
of the restricted area. This had been done in a sensitive manner with wooden posts so that they
did not look overly out of place. Some paths in the area had also been diverted to try and keep
people away from the important areas for capercaillie. There were still some people who
ignored the signs, but it is thought that generally the vast majority respect the signage.
However, it was noted that a small number of people at the wrong time of year can cause large
problems, particularly photographers who come to photograph capercaillie and end up
disturbing them in the process. The restricted area presented good brood habitat for caper, and
some interesting behaviour had been noted since the designation had been put in place. The
group recognised the open tree-line, akin to wood pasture type habitat, of scattered fir, spruce,
willow and juniper to be good for woodland grouse. Although in Scotland we would have
expected to see black grouse in this area not capercaillie! We were told by Arnaud and Manuel
that since disturbance in the area had been reduced, caper had been spending less time in the
thick forest and could now be found as far out as the open moorland above the tree-line. The
obvious trigger for this would seem to be the reduction in disturbance, with birds now taking
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advantage of the good habitat above the high forest. Hens nested under the low lying branches
of the spruce, with immediate access to food in both the thick field layer and on the heavy
branched mature trees. The structure of this gradated forest edge also provided excellent brood
habitat and abundant cover for hens and chicks from predators, with plenty of grasshoppers,
moths, caterpillars and ants for chicks to feed on. From previous experience in Scotland, it is
likely that the reduction in disturbance has led to an increase in use of the more open habitat by
hens, with cocks then following after. The abundant blaeberry (Vaccinium myrtillus) obviously
played a part in this, given its importance in the life cycle of capercaillie.
Photo: 1) Restricted area. 2) Fir, spruce and juniper vegetation.
Management of blaeberry harvesting by the public was also discussed when on site. Arnaud
and Manuel explained that a restriction of three litres of blaeberries per person, per day was put
in place to ensure that this key plant wasn’t over exploited in the NNR. This was clearly working,
given some of the areas of blaeberry noted during this visit, and also in other areas of the
Vosges.
Photo: 1) Extensive blaeberry cover. 2) Typical open, forest-edge habitat.
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Wild boar were again mentioned as being a problem for capercaillie and for the reserve in
general. Traditionally boar would have moved down to lower ground to feed during the winter;
however hunters feeding them on the outside of the reserve has meant that they stay at higher
altitudes for longer. Although, it was noted that the numbers are still relatively low in this area,
and the problem is nowhere near as big as in other parts of the Vosges.
At the other end of the reserve the group also visited an excellent area of peat bog, something
that is wide-spread in Scotland but which is limited to 500ha in the Vosges. Bogs like this
obviously present an excellent source of food for caper broods, although the particular area we
visited was subject to disturbance from the public road at one side and a hiking trail to the other.
From the bog we passed through some of the highest beech forest in the Vosges, through
montane scrub and out onto the open moorland where we met the top of the adjacent ski area.
The views from the top were spectacular, from the steep cliffs and scree used by chamois, to
the wooded valleys heading off in all directions, to the distant high peaks of the German and
Swiss Alps. Once back into the beech forest, we discussed the creation of small clearings to try
and promote ground flora for capercaillie, primarily blaeberry. This relatively fine scale
management seemed sensible and is similar to much of the work done in Scotland, where
operations are targeted to create a diverse habitat that is suitable for caper across a forest area.
Photo: 1) Montane scrub. 2) Farmers moving their Vosgienne cattle. 3) View from the top of the hill.
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An interesting side to the visits on Thursday morning was the history from the start of the 20th
century. During the First World War there was a lot of construction of infrastructure and many
battles were fought in the area. The NNR used to be the frontier between German and French
troops (with the French holding the high ground) and many troops died during the first winter.
This led to the interesting innovation by the French army of the importation of Canadian sled
dogs. Small scale railways were built to transport supplies, but smoke from the trains would be
seen by German troops and the trains would be bombed. Dogs were imported from Canada and
used as an alternative to steam engines, thereby allowing French troops to be supplied
throughout the year. The presence of clearly visible bomb craters and trenches reminded the
group of the horrific and relatively recent history that this area has had to endure. In many areas
the First World War was the last major intervention, with habitats having been relatively
unmanaged since then.
Photo: First World War trench in wood.
In the afternoon we visited the forest ‘Petit Fossard’ and were joined by Michel Munier, one of
the founding members of GTV and a man with an enormous amount of experience on
management of capercaillie. The area we visited was on a large plateau of around twenty five
by ten kilometres and held the most westerly caper population in the Vosges Mountains. It was
an area of small rolling hills and peat bogs which had been lived in since Neolithic times and
was formerly a series of small holdings with open clearings and wood pasture with large mature
trees that provided an excellent habitat for capercaillie. The pasture areas were subsequently
replanted, with many being harvested and replanted in the 1970’s and 80’s. Unfortunately these
areas became too dense for capercaillie and numbers dropped in the area. These problems are
now being overcome through thinning, in some cases heavy thinning, with some areas left open
during restructuring.
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Photo: 1) Group discussion. 2) Blaeberry cover in an glade of the Petit Fossard.
The Conservatoire des Espaces Naturels de Lorraine bought a 10ha site in the early 90s, and
since then work has been undertaken by them and GTV to improve the habitat for capercaillie.
The work they are carrying out is creating a diverse forest landscape with all of the niches
required for capercaillie throughout their lifecycle, from high forest for roosting and moulting, to
peat bog and scattered cover for nesting and brood habitat. In some areas there had been too
much thinning and now too much regeneration had resulted in areas unsuitable for caper. This
is being managed in some areas by hand cutting and felling of some larger trees. This also
helps to increase the insect availability through deadwood creation and aids in the reduction of
disturbance through blocking old trails to hikers and quad bikers. The majority of this work is
done by volunteers from the GTV, and volunteer days can attract in excess of 40 people. GTV
and the Conservatoire now work with local foresters to improve the habitat for capercaillie
through normal forest operations. This had been made easier through improved relationships
with a newly instated forestry team, who possess a greater understanding of their ability to
benefit biodiversity.
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Photo: 1) Work carried out by GTV volunteers in clearing a small peat bog. 2) Dead wood creation.
We passed through one area where strips had been marked for heavier thinning to create links
between good peat bog habitat in an attempt to try and increase the available habitat for birds in
the area. As the Lorraine area is wetter, due to rising clouds hitting the western slopes of the
Vosges, there are more peat bogs present in the area. This correlates strongly with the current
distribution of capercaillie in the Vosges, where 90% of the population can be found in the
Lorraine region. The issue of predation was touched upon when we were told about the body of
a dead caper cock that was found earlier in the year. It was probably killed by a goshawk and
then cached by a fox under a spruce branch. Pine marten numbers had been noted as high this
year, which was down to high vole numbers due to a good beech mast year. When cut open, it
was found that the bird had consumed a large amount of cowberry berries and fresh heather
shoots, which clearly showed that the habitat provided plenty of available food for caper.
Photo: 1) Peat bog. 2) Trees marked for felling.
While walking through the forest we passed by a proposed old wood island, as proposed in the
capercaillie management guidance for forest managers. This area had some particularly large fir
trees which would be suitable for roosting and feeding caper. The change in focus for foresters
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in the area was clear to see when Michel described some of the experiences he has had over
the 40 years or so that he has been out in the forests campaigning for capercaillie management.
In the 1960s and 70s, large areas of old growth forest were cut down on state owned land,
which was obviously very bad for capercaillie. This was done under the premise that shrapnel
had damaged many of the trees during the war, although it was now clear that this was only an
excuse to get to the good quality timber. As areas were replanted with conifer to commercial
stocking density, the habitat became poor for capercaillie. Some good areas of broadleaf
woodland and scrub could be found between the conifer forests, but these were also cleared out
as foresters wanted to maximise the amount of conifer, which in turn led to a reduction in hazel
grouse numbers. As already mentioned above, things are very different now and relations are
much better between conservationists and foresters in the area, a great change from the hostile
attitudes and occasional threats of violence that Michel used to face 30 or 40 years ago. The
Conservatoire hopes to be able to buy more land in the area, such as an area that used to be a
lek but had been felled in the recent past. Although birds still use the area, there was now
potential to restore this to even better caper habitat and create another island of permanent
good quality habitat within the wider working forest. Although the forest we walked through was
contiguous, with a mosaic of different ages and small areas of peat bog, the ownership changed
several times, from the Conservatoire to State Forest to private owners. The difference was
clear to see nearby, with a clearfell having taken place recently, something that only really
happens in privately owned forest. The timber cleared was a mixture of older trees from the
wood pasture system probably 150 years old, and some of the younger 1970’s planting. Our
guides did not think that the owner would have made much, if any money at all from the
operation, and it was these types of owners that the Conservatoire would like to buy the forest
from, which would protect old growth trees and also give the owners a much better return
financially.
Photo: 1) Timber stacks. 2) High density regeneration.
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Upon returning to the vehicles the group thanked Manuel and Michel for taking the time to guide
us round some superb forests in what had been a long, but thoroughly interesting and
enlightening day in the western Vosges.
Day 5: Pete Mayhew
Two contrasting National Nature Reserves were visited, accompanied by Arnaud and Yannick
Despert, who is Head of Reserves for the Parc Naturel. Yannick is responsible for four reserves
covering 5000ha, with six staff.
The first site we visited was the Réserve Naturelle Massif du Grand Ventron. At 1650 ha, it is
one of the larger reserves in the Parc and comprises an eastern area of steep slopes, old
growth forest, high levels of recreation pressure and few capercaillie. In contrast, the western
area has gentler topography and less mature trees, but has large areas of peat bog and is
quieter. It holds the majority of the Parc’s capercaillie. There are estimated to be around 20
individuals in the reserve, mainly in the north and west.
Photo: 1) Réserve Naturelle Massif du Grand Ventron. 2) Beech and fir forest.
Most of the morning was spent on the eastern slope, which includes 400ha of strictly protected
old growth forest, some not touched for around 200 years. Ownership in this area is both state
and local municipals. The reserve was created in 1989 and more or less imposed on local
people without any consultation. The management plan is validated by the Ministry in Paris and
reviewed every five years. Local relations have improved greatly over the years and partnership
working is key. In the managed forest, there are strict rules about timber operations, including a
requirement to conserve a certain quantity of dead wood in the forest (35m3 per ha). There is
ongoing survey work being carried out to compare the biodiversity of managed and protected
forest to guide future management.
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Photo: 1) Steep rocky slopes of the eastern side of the Parc. 2) Old growth forest.
Hunting management is a significant issue here with rights sold by auction to the highest bidder.
This results in wealthy hunters expecting big bags and there is resultant pressure for keeping
high numbers of game (mainly deer, chamois (re-introduced in 1956) and boar) within the
woodlands. Strangely, the Parc has no control over hunting rights. Not only does this result in
some habitat damage from the high densities of deer and boar, but it is also thought that there
may be illegal killing of the re-introduced lynx population (thought to be around 30 in the Parc).
Capercaillie management in this area is principally aimed at keeping clearings open around
bogs and glades. The general feeling is that the forest is becoming too enclosed for caper due
to denser forest regeneration and encroachment of beech over fir and spruce.
Photo: 1) Blaeberry cover in the old growth forest. 2) A clearing that has been taken over by beech regeneration.
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A pack lunch was taken by an auberge (unfortunately closed!) in the western section of the
reserve where partnership working had lead to agreement over nature walks and quiet areas for
capercaillie. This seemed to work well, serving both the economic and biodiversity interests in
the immediate area. This included some important caper breeding sites, particularly around the
small 150 peat bogs in this part of the reserve. There was some discussion of caper population
monitoring methods which included lek counts and genetic analysis of feathers and droppings.
Also, that peak mating time seemed to be getting earlier and the possibility that this was related
to climate change.
Photo: 1) A small peat bog in the western side of the Parc. 2) Blaeberry cover in the fir wood.
The final part of the day was spent at the Réserve Naturelle Tourbier de Machais. This is a
much smaller reserve (145ha) but resembles the western part of Grand Ventron in that it
comprises a large area of peat bog, up to 18m in depth! This openness is good for caper
breeding but there remains a general concern of beech taking over from fir (and thus darkening
the wood) due to changes in woodland management. Despite lots of paths, it is generally a
quieter area, again good for caper.
Photo: 1) Réserve Naturelle Tourbier de Machais peat bog (18m deep!) 2) The peat bog edge.
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This is an important area for wolves that have recently colonised the Vosges from the Alps.
Two adults had been tracked in this reserve. Unfortunately, one of these animals had killed 37
sheep and one horse which didn’t go down too well with the local farmers.
Day 6: Ian Perks
The last full day of the trip saw the group, along with Arnaud, visit the most southerly part of the
Vosges Mountains – The Réserve Naturelle Ballons Comtois. This large, mostly state-owned
forest sits in the Department of Franche-Comté. The reserve covers some 2,256 ha making it
the largest nature reserve in the Vosges Mountains. It has been protected since 1984 and was a
working state forest prior to this. It is noteworthy that here the Nature Conservation team make
decisions and not the Office National des Forêts.
Photo: Réserve Naturelle Ballons Comtois.
The trip began with an introduction from our guide for the day, Lidi from the Nature
Conservation team, who explained the size, scope and nature of the reserve and detailed what
we would see. Unfortunately the weather was horrendous – heavy rain and low cloud which
made seeing the reserve more of a challenge than normal!
We began with a walk into one of the protected ‘quiet zones’. These zones are created to help
to protect Capercaillie and function between December and July. The area has clearly marked
signage to warn visitors to stay out and comply with the timing of the quiet zone. Inside the zone
itself we looked at the structure of the forest – beech, fir forest with varying understory. Lidi
explained that one of the main problems for capercaillie was excessive beech regeneration.
Earlier forestry regimes cleared too many trees too quickly leaving open areas on rich soils
which the beech trees quickly colonised growing quickly and densely to ‘drown out’ the field
layer and hence remove food for capercaillie. The management of the forest now emphasises
the removal of some of this Beech regeneration and the sensitive management of the more
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mature trees in these stands to improve the quality of the forest for capercaillie. To this end the
reserve has managed to negotiate a 12 year ban on harvesting big trees inside some areas in
the quiet zone. This is unique in the Vosges and, whilst difficult to negotiate, could prove vital in
improving the stand structure of the forest to help capercaillie and other wildlife. Also, in other
areas certain trees can be cut even if it is not economical to do so.
The region of Franche-Comté has a much lower population density than other regions of the
Vosges. Unfortunately this hasn’t lessened the human impact on the reserve. Two modern ski
resorts have brought large scale human disturbance. This coupled with high levels of snow shoe
use and Nordic skiing mean the disturbance is also a major issue for capercaillie in Réserve
Naturelle Ballons Comtois. To this end there is a programme of trail closure, increased signage
and the use of barriers to deter motor cycles and Quad bikes.
At the summit of the hill we saw more open ground. This is due to a large storm in 1994 that
felled trees and also destroyed the lek. The open ground is, however, good brood habitat and
the reserve staff are keen to maintain this open area. Management to achieve this will begin
soon as regeneration is beginning to come away. This summit cap has a layer of sandstone on
top of the granite bedrock providing a different type of flora. More blaeberry was seen which
would confirm the idea that the summit crown is a good habitat for broods.
The discussion then moved onto hunting. Lidi explained how wild boar are becoming more of a
problem in the reserve. The numbers of boar are increasing and are causing large scale
disturbance to the field layer, to the detriment of capercaillie. The reserve are keen to shoot
more boar, as are the hunters, but the hunters associations are refusing to cooperate. This is a
difficult issue as a change in legislation would be required to increase the quota and this would
be prolonged and difficult. The reserve staff have tried trapping boar, but with no real success.
We then visited a peat bog where there is an active lek. Access to the bog is denied the whole
year round, but people break this code, using snow shoes, in winter. The reserve staff have a
dual role in winter acting as ‘police’ to try to get visitors to comply with the restrictions.
The final part of the day was spent visiting a spruce plantation that is being thinned for
capercaillie. The areas of large spruce are being felled to remove half the trees to encourage
blaeberry and better field layer. The felling is designed to leave different diameters of trees, and
in six years time the area will be re-visited to fell more trees. This type of management was
more in keeping with what happens in Scotland, i.e. managing plantation trees to benefit
capercaillie. It was good to see the immediate impact of allowing more light onto the forest floor
through blaeberry re-emerging and providing future habitat for capercaillie.
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Summary: Rebekah Mayhew
I was very impressed with Arnaud and GTV, as well as all the other site managers we met over
the week. They have set themselves a tough job with the aim of increasing their capercaillie
population from its current 140 birds to a minimum viable population of 500 birds, but their
enthusiasm and optimism is inspiring. Their implementation of caper conservation and
management in the Vosges is in some respects similar to that in Scotland, and, I believe that
there were many lessons learned through this exchange for both the participants from Scotland
and our French hosts. In particular, I felt there were four main lessons. These were based
around climate change, habitat management, disturbance and predation.
Climate change is hypothesised to play a role in the decline of capercaillie. In the Vosges, caper
are now only found above 700m a.s.l., whereas they used to range to lower elevations in the
valleys. It has also been observed, in both the Vosges and Scotland, that peak mating times for
caper are becoming earlier in the year. These observations would appear to support the theory
that climate change is affecting capercaillie. Whilst there is little that conservationists in either
Scotland or the Vosges can do directly to alleviate the effects of climate change, ensuring that
caper habitat and other conditions are as good as they can be should help to mitigate the
effects.
Habitat management is a key issue in both the Vosges and Scotland. In the Vosges, work
appears to be mainly focussed on attempting to prevent the forest from becoming overly
enclosed. For example, beech regeneration in natural glades or recently thinned forest is often
prolific and can out-compete both spruce and fir. This leads to a reduction in the area of habitat
suitable for caper. The best areas for caper in the Vosges are where there are a good number
of open glades and peat bogs, which they use for lekking and brood rearing. Management
therefore focuses on opening up areas of the forest, as well as retaining the more mature, larger
trees that are good for roosting and feeding caper. Unlike Scotland, physical fragmentation of
forests is not such an issue in the Vosges. There are large areas of continuous forestry where
the sites that have good caper habitat are isolated from one another within a larger wooded
landscape. In Scotland, the emphasis for habitat management has been focussed on reducing
fragmentation through increasing forest cover, although field layer management has also been
an issue.
Disturbance management is a high priority in both the Vosges and Scotland. Within the Vosges
there is a big tradition of hiking in the mountains. This has resulted in there being 16,000km of
marked trails within the Régional Parc. Obviously, this has huge consequences when
attempting to manage ‘quiet’ areas for the benefit of capercaillie. There has been some success
with either closing or diverting trails, and with the introduction of ‘restricted access’ areas in
important caper lekking and breeding spots. These exclude people from entering a specified
area between the months of December and July. There is no such regulation of access in place
in Scotland, where the only concession is to ask people to keep dogs on leads between the
months of April and August in some caper areas. Whilst disturbance is perhaps not as extensive
an issue in some parts of Scotland as it is in the Vosges, there can still be localised cases
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where a higher level of restricted access would very likely benefit the capercaillie, such as
Strathspey.
Predation in the Vosges is viewed very differently than in Scotland. In the Vosges they have a
more ‘natural’ system than in Scotland, with a larger variety of predators present within
capercaillie woods. This includes apex predators, such as the lynx, and as of two years ago, two
wolves that have returned to the area. Predation of capercaillie is seen as a natural occurrence,
and not something that should be managed. In Scotland, without the presence of apex
predators, certain predator populations are often viewed as occurring in unnaturally high
densities. At present in Scotland, fox and crows (both known predators of capercaillie) are
controlled and there is often debate over whether this should extend to the control of other
predators, such as the protected pine marten.
Of these four key themes that are relevant to capercaillie management in both the Vosges and
Scotland, habitat and disturbance management appeared to be of foremost importance in the
Vosges. This compares with Scotland, where in addition to habitat and disturbance
management, predation is also viewed as a key issue for caper conservation. The final lesson of
this exchange was the important role that working in partnership plays in conservation. Without
good relationships with fellow NGOs, government bodies, volunteers and land owners, very little
capercaillie conservation work could be implemented. It has only been through improvements in
working together, in both the Vosges and Scotland, which has allowed a number of success
stories for caper conservation.
I would like to thank Arnaud, Libby and my fellow participants that have made this trip both very
interesting and possible.
Photo: Group photo
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Appendix 1: Species Lists
Bird List
Black woodpecker
Blackbird
Blue tit
Bullfinch
Chaffinch
Coal tit
Collared dove
Common buzzard
Common crossbill
Cormorant
Crested tit
Crow
Dipper
Dunnock
Feral pigeon
Fieldfare
Goldcrest
Great spotted woodpecker
Great tit
Grey heron
House sparrow
Jackdaw
Jay
Kestrel
Magpie
Mallard
Nuthatch
Raven
Robin
Siskin
Sparrowhawk
Starling
Tree creeper
White stork
Willow tit
Woodcock
Woodpigeon
Wren
Mammal List
Fox
Red deer
Red squirrel
Roe deer
Weasel
Total = 5 species
Tree List
Alder
Ash
Beech
Birch
Elder
Hazel
Juniper
Lime
Maple
Norway spruce
Oak
Rowan
Scots pine
Silver fir
Willow spp.
Total = 15 species
Total = 38 species
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