The Effect of Selective Logging on the Resource Potential of Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) in the Primorsky District of the Arkhangelsk Region. P. 163-174

Complete text of the article:

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UDС

630*8

DOI:

10.37482/0536-1036-2026-2-163-174

Abstract

This study investigates the long-term transformation of the resource potential of blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) following selective logging in the northern taiga ecosystems of the Arkhangelsk region. While blueberry is a key non-timber forest resource, its recovery dynamics after mechanized harvesting remain understudied in high-latitude forests. The research was conducted in the Primorsky district, comparing forest stands twelve years post-selective logging with undisturbed control plots. The methodology involved a systematic assessment of 115 test plots (0.20 m² each) to evaluate the structural and biometric response of the species. The results reveal a significant shift in the population structure of Vaccinium myrtillus L. The projective cover – a primary indicator of resource abundance – decreased nearly threefold, dropping from 32.5 % in the control to 12.5 % in the logged areas. Conversely, the species demonstrated a pronounced vegetative resilience: shoot density in logged stands reached 346 shoots/m², nearly doubling the 175 shoots/m² found in the control. Furthermore, biometric indicators of individual shoots improved in the postlogging environment; the average shoot height increased from 18.1 to 21.3 cm. The mean leaf phytomass increased from 0.11 to 0.24 g, likely as an adaptive response to increased light availability. However, the study identifies a critical reproduction-vegetation gap. Despite the vigorous vegetative recovery and increased biomass per shoot, the reproductive output remained severely compromised. The berry yield in logged areas was recorded at only 1.3 kg/ ha, compared to 50.1 kg/ha in the undisturbed control. These findings lead to the conclusion that a twelve-year interval is insufficient for the restoration of the commercial fruit-bearing potential of blueberry in the northern taiga. The study highlights that while selective logging may stimulate vegetative growth and increase shoot density, it causes a long-term disruption of the ecological conditions necessary for stable berry production.

Authors

Alyona A. Kovrigina¹, Postgraduate Student; ResearcherID: MVW-1673-2025,
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0007-1273-4190
Elena N. Nakvasina¹, Doctor of Agriculture, Prof.; ResearcherID: A-5165-2013,
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7360-3975
Sergey V. Tretyakov^1,2*, Doctor of Agriculture, Prof.; ResearcherID: AAE-3861-2021,
ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5982-3114

Affiliation

¹Northern (Arctic) Federal University Named after M.V. Lomonosov, Naberezhnaya Severnoy Dviny, 17, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation, 163002; kovrigina96@inbox.ru, e.nakvasina@narfu.ru, s.v.tretyakov@narfu.ru*
²Northern Research Institute of Forestry, ul. Nikitova, 13, Arkhangelsk, Russian Federation, 163062; s.v.tretyakov@narfu.ru

Keywords

blueberry, Vaccinium myrtillus L., selective logging, resource potential of blueberry, living ground cover, projective coating, phytomass of blueberry, mass of shoots, mass of leafs, mass of berries, Arkhangelsk Region

For citation

Kovrigina A.A., Nakvasina E.N., Tretyakov S.V. The Effect of Selective Logging on the Resource Potential of Blueberry (Vaccinium myrtillus L.) in the Primorsky District of the Arkhangelsk Region. Lesnoy Zhurnal = Russian Forestry Journal, 2026, no. 2, pp. 163–174. (In Russ.). https://doi.org/10.37482/0536-1036-2026-2-163-174

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