Post-fire succession in scots pine forests of southern taiga central Siberia

Abstract

Fire is one of the main disturbance factors in the boreal forests of Russia. Forests dominated by Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) are widespread in Central Siberia, with large areas burned annually. We studied post fire succession of ground vegetation following experimental fires of various intensities on typical Scots pine forest sites. The greatest changes in ground vegetation and biomass of these pine forests were after fires of high intensity. After fires of low intensity ecosystem components recovered rather quickly to pre-fire composition. These results are important for determining the effects of fire behavior and intensity on rates and patterns of post-fire vegetation recovery in southern taiga Scots pine forests of Siberia.