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Forest Fires in the Boreal Biome: Drivers and Effects on...
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Forest Fires in the Boreal Biome: Drivers and Effects on Humans and Ecosystem Processes

A special issue of Forests (ISSN 1999-4907). This special issue belongs to the section "Natural Hazards and Risk Management".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (30 November 2022) | Viewed by 7709

Special Issue Editor

Dr. Igor Drobyshev

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
1. Department of Southern Swedish Forest Research Centre, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, SLU Alnarp, Box 190, 234 22 Lomma, Sweden
2. Institut de recherche sur les forêts, Université du Québec en Abitibi-Témiscamingue, 445 boul. de l'Université, Rouyn-Noranda, QC J9X5E4, Canada
Interests: dendrochronology; forest fire activity in temperate and boreal forests; climate–fire interactions; seeding behavior of masting tree species

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Observed and projected trends in weather variability suggest that future fire regimes in boreal forests may differ from those observed over the 20th century. Paleo- and dendrochronological reconstructions inform us about the range of variability of historic fire activity, although it is still challenging to reconstruct the full range of relevant features of fire regimes (e.g., spatial metrics and severity) and convert these reconstructions into the estimates of fire impacts on particular ecosystem functions, such as C dynamics and biodiversity. Separation of climatic vs. human signals in fire records, both modern and reconstructed, remains a subject of vivid debate. Equally intriguing is research aiming to quantify the role of fire suppression in shaping fire activity across geographical scales. Further, knowledge on the effect of fire activity and its cessation on ecosystem functions is much needed to inform forest management and policy makers.

We hope that the forthcoming Special Issue will touch upon all these topics, providing an important and timely contribution to the fields of fire ecology, fire management, and beyond.

We especially welcome submissions featuring studies conducted in the central and eastern sections of boreal Eurasia, a critical region in respect of its contribution to the global forest fire activity.

Dr. Igor Drobyshev
Guest Editor

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Forests is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2600 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • long- and short-term trends in fire activity
  • fires and ecosystem services
  • climate change
  • ignition patterns and human impacts
  • paleo- and dendrochronological reconstructions
  • fire management and fire suppression
  • impact of fire on human societies

Published Papers (4 papers)

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Research

24 pages, 7546 KiB  
Article
Joint Analysis of Lightning-Induced Forest Fire and Surface Influence Factors in the Great Xing’an Range
by Qiyue Zhang, Saeid Homayouni, Huaxia Yao, Yang Shu, Mengzhen Li and Mei Zhou
Forests 2022, 13(11), 1867; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111867 - 08 Nov 2022
Cited by 6 | Viewed by 1327
Abstract
For several decades, warming-induced fires have been widespread in many forest systems. A forest fire could be a potential indicator, since the Great Xing’an Range is susceptible to global climate changes and frequent extreme events. This region has a relatively integrated forest community [...] Read more.
For several decades, warming-induced fires have been widespread in many forest systems. A forest fire could be a potential indicator, since the Great Xing’an Range is susceptible to global climate changes and frequent extreme events. This region has a relatively integrated forest community structure. This paper investigated 35 factors to explore how natural conditions affect fire scale. We analyzed the fire spatiotemporal distribution, by combining the Google Earth Engine (GEE) platform and historical records, and then reconstructed the fire-prone climate conditions. We used an exploratory model to minimize the climate factors and a geographically and temporally weighted regression (GTWR) model to predict regional large-scale lightning fire occurrence. The main results are (1) Lightning fire occurrence increased during the past four decades, and the regional fire season starts from the spring (May to June). (2) The time of occurrence of lightning fires had a strong correlation with the occurrence density. (3) The main natural factors affecting a fire-affected area are air moisture content, topographic slope, maximum surface air temperature, wind direction, and surface atmospheric pressure. The regional climate can be characterized that the prevailing southeastern wind bringing lots of precipitation and strong surface pressure, combined with the regional periodic lightning weather and irregular high temperatures, forming fire-prone weather. The abnormal soil water content in the spring led to vegetation growth and increased fuel storage. The low air water content and long-term water deficit made the local air dry. Lightning strikes are an influential factor in fire frequency, while climatic conditions shape the fire-affected areas. (4) The seven days of pre-fire data are more accurate for studying lightning fire occurrence. The GTWR model showed the best fitness among the four models. Fire-prone areas showed a trend of increasing from south to north. In the future, lightning fires will likely occur in this region’s north and east. Our work would promote the local forest fire policy-making process. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fires in the Boreal Biome: Drivers and Effects on Humans and Ecosystem Processes)
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21 pages, 7069 KiB  
Article
Fire Severity Controls Successional Pathways in a Fire-Affected Spruce Forest in Eastern Fennoscandia
by Vladimir A. Ananyev, Vera V. Timofeeva, Alexandr M. Kryshen’, Alexey N. Pekkoev, Ekaterina E. Kostina, Anna V. Ruokolainen, Sergei A. Moshnikov, Maria V. Medvedeva, Alexei V. Polevoi and Andrey E. Humala
Forests 2022, 13(11), 1775; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13111775 - 27 Oct 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1590
Abstract
Tree stand dynamics, changes in the ground vegetation and soils, and species diversity of wood-decaying fungi were studied in pristine middle boreal spruce forests affected by a surface fire in the Vodlozersky National Park (Arkhangelsk Region, Russia) in 2011. In the third year [...] Read more.
Tree stand dynamics, changes in the ground vegetation and soils, and species diversity of wood-decaying fungi were studied in pristine middle boreal spruce forests affected by a surface fire in the Vodlozersky National Park (Arkhangelsk Region, Russia) in 2011. In the third year after the fire, the burnt area was dominated by birch, which contributed an average of 72% to the total amount of major tree species regeneration. In sites affected by a high-severity fire, the ground vegetation cover did not exceed 40%, with Chamaenerion angustifolium (L.) Scop. and Marchantia polymorpha L. dominating in the first years after. By the tenth year, the diversity of the newly forming tree layer increased from 5 to 11 species and natural thinning of deciduous tree regeneration was already underway, although its amount was still over 100,000 plants per hectare throughout. By the end of the first post-fire decade, Picea abies (L.) H. Karst. and Pinus sylvestris L. accounted for 11% of the total regeneration. The occurrence and cover of pyrogenic species Chamaenerion angustifolium and Marchantia polymorpha declined sharply at this stage. Vegetation in sites affected by mid-severity fire was mostly regenerating through propagation of the survivor Avenella flexuosa (L.) Drejer, Vaccinium myrtillus L., V. vitis-idaea, etc. In the burnt area, the species diversity of wood-destroying fungi was reduced compared to the adjacent unburned areas, and it was the same in both heavily and moderately burnt areas. This is probably due to the fact that the downed deadwood in post-fire sites was trunks of the same age and in the same degree of decay whereas the total amount of downed deadwood in the control (unburnt forest) was lower but featuring all stages of decay and, furthermore, there were plenty of fungi-populated dead standing and weakened overmature trees. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fires in the Boreal Biome: Drivers and Effects on Humans and Ecosystem Processes)
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13 pages, 5581 KiB  
Article
Trends in Forest Fire Occurrence in the Ilmensky Nature Reserve, Southern Urals, Russia, between 1948 and 2014
by Denis Veselkin, Nadezhda Kuyantseva, Liliya Pustovalova and Aleksandr Mumber
Forests 2022, 13(4), 528; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13040528 - 29 Mar 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1562
Abstract
We analyzed the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of 1083 forest fires within the Ilmensky Reserve (Southern Urals, Russia) over 1948–2014. We observed a significant increase in the number of forest fires over the studied period, with the locations of the most frequently [...] Read more.
We analyzed the spatial distribution and temporal dynamics of 1083 forest fires within the Ilmensky Reserve (Southern Urals, Russia) over 1948–2014. We observed a significant increase in the number of forest fires over the studied period, with the locations of the most frequently burned sections of the reserve changing over time. The average number of fires over the whole period increased by a factor of 1.9; there were 0.41 fires per compartment per 10 years in 1948–1970, there were 0.58 fires per compartment per 10 years in 1971–1990, and there were 0.77 fires per compartment per 10 years in 1991–2014. In parallel, the spatial pattern of ignitions became more aggregated. The fire frequency increased across the reserve, with the most pronounced change being observed along the reserve borders. Human-related fires dominate the modern fire activity within the Ilmensky Reserve, which is modulated by the local conditions. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fires in the Boreal Biome: Drivers and Effects on Humans and Ecosystem Processes)
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11 pages, 1455 KiB  
Article
Scandinavian Forest Fire Activity Correlates with Proxies of the Baffin Bay Ice Cover
by Igor Drobyshev, Yves Bergeron, Nina Ryzhkova and Alexander Kryshen
Forests 2022, 13(1), 60; https://doi.org/10.3390/f13010060 - 04 Jan 2022
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 2588
Abstract
Understanding factors driving fire activity helps reveal the degree and geographical variability in the resilience of boreal vegetation to large scale climate forces. We studied the association between sea ice cover in the Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea and observational records of [...] Read more.
Understanding factors driving fire activity helps reveal the degree and geographical variability in the resilience of boreal vegetation to large scale climate forces. We studied the association between sea ice cover in the Baffin Bay and the Labrador Sea and observational records of forest fires in two Nordic countries (Norway and Sweden) over 1913–2017. We found a positive correlation between ice proxies and regional fire activity records suggesting that the Arctic climate and the associated changes in North Atlantic circulation exercise an important control on the levels of fire activity in Scandinavia. Changes in the sea cover are likely correlated with the dynamic of the North Atlantic Current. These dynamics may favor the development of the drought conditions in Scandinavia through promoting persistent high-pressure systems over the Scandinavian boreal zone during the spring and summer. These periods are, in turn, associated with an increased water deficit in forest fuels, leading to a regionally increased fire hazard. The Arctic climate will likely be an important future control of the boreal fire activity in the Nordic region. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Forest Fires in the Boreal Biome: Drivers and Effects on Humans and Ecosystem Processes)
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