Post-Fire Recovery Peculiarities of Siberian Fir-Tree Stands Under Conditions of Rudny Altai

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UDС

674.032.475.2+630*43

DOI:

10.17238/issn0536-1036.2016.2.19

Abstract

The vast territory in the south-western periphery of the Altai-Sayan mountain country is identified as a special physical-geographical region – Rudny Altai. High rainfall and a con-siderable amount of heat provide the development of the peculiar forest formation in the region known as black taiga, where the Siberian fir is the main forest forming species. Pyro-genic factor along with timber harvesting is very important in the formation of the composi-tion and structure of the forest area of Rydny Altai. Study objective was to determine the age stages of fir natural regeneration on the burnt areas. The main tasks were to analyze the dynamics of post-fire recovery of the fir stands and the study of natural regeneration pro-cesses on the burnt areas. When collecting primary data for the study of forest dynamics we adhered to the generally accepted methodological approach. Forest dynamics analysis was carried out within the same boundaries. Taxation parameters of allotments and their catego-rization for a few forest inventory periods were discharged for the selected land plots. A.V. Pobedinskiy discount areas method was used to study the natural regeneration. As a result of the study the natural regeneration processes of Siberian fir were revealed, fir undergrowth quantitative parameters at different stages were established and reforestation success was evaluated. Poor natural regeneration in the first two stages of the forest forming process was noted. Fir undergrowth was met extremely rare and only in close proximity to the forest edge or surviving separated fir groups. It was found that the recovery and formation of the vegetation for the first post-fire 150 years in grass ferny fir forest conditions pass through three consequent recovery and age-related stages. The first stage is the recent burnt areas, which are characterized by complete loss of all the components of biocenoses. Secondary insects start to attack the parent forest stand debris as well as windfall. The grass and shrub associations and deciduous saplings formation characterize the second stage. Birch, moun-tain ash, willow natural seeding is been accumulated. They start to grow at burnt areas along with burr-type specimens forming the separated forest stands. The third stage is described by the derivatives of birch or aspen forests with fir undergrowth in the second tree layer. It is a period of derivative birch or aspen forest domination of the first or even the second gen-eration with fir undergrowth in the second tree layer. Middle-aged fir forests can be formed on the northern slopes, dishes and microdepressions by 150 years. The recovery process of burnt areas begins with broadleaved species groups’ formation and is accompanied by their further spatial dispersal. Hardwood increase induces the accumulation of dark coniferous undergrowth. The long period of forest formation (more than 150…200 years) as well as periodicity in fruitification and complexity in the accumulation of undergrowth cause uneven-aged pyrogenic fir forests. Natural regeneration in the first two stages is assessed as unsatisfactory.

Authors

A.A. Kalachev1, Candidate of Agriculture S.V. Zalesov2, Doctor of Agriculture, Professor

Affiliation

1Altai Branch of Kazakh Scientific Research Institute of Forestry and Agroforestry, Ostrov-sky str., 13A, Ridder, East Kazakhstan Region, 071302, Republic of Kazakhstan; е-mail: kalachev_75_los@mail.ru
2Ural State Forest Engineering University, Sibirsky Trakt, 37, Yekaterinburg, 620100, Rus-sian Federation; е-mail: Zalesov@usfeu.ru

Keywords

Rudny Altai, fir forest, forest forming process, recovery and age-related stages.

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Received on March 25, 2015