Influence of Fires on Pine Forest Floristic Diversity of the Eastern Transbaikal Territory

Complete text of the article:

Download article (pdf, 0.9MB )

UDС

630*187:574

DOI:

10.17238/ issn0536-1036.2019.1.77

Abstract

The article shows the effect of extensive and repeated forest fires on the floristic diversity of pine forests typical for the forest-steppe zone of the Eastern Transbaikal territory. Pine forest general description carried out according to the materials of the forest valuation of 1994, before the extensive fires. The floristic composition of long-term non-burning plant communities in different stages of secondary succession after fires was determined by the method of sample plots. Indexes of species abundance accumulation and rare species, and the share of forest and adventive plant species were used to estimate the biodiversity of plant communities. Pine forestland is formed by a variety of forest types, where rhododendron pine forests dominate by area; while cereal mixed herbs pine forests occupy the smaller area. Sedgy, mountain-lapideous, ledum and riverine pine forests occupy up to 5 % of the total area. Area ratio of monodominant and oligodominant forests to a certain extent associated with slope direction. Monodominant forests areas are larger than oligodominant forests areas on the slopes of the North-West and the South-West exposure; while oligodominant forests occupy large areas on southern, northern, western and eastern slopes. Young and middle-growth plantations were more than 50 % of the forestland before the extensive forest fires. There were about 40 % of ripening forest stands and up to 10 % of mature and over mature forest stands of the total forested area. The age ratio of plantation has changed a little after fires, however, old-growth plantations over 110–130 years old has failed. The number of plant species in the long-term non-burning forest areas is significantly higher than in burnt areas, logged lands and pine crops. The index of species abundance accumulation is higher in logged lands and plantations without burnings. The index of rare species have decreased from 1.25 (long-term non-burning plantations) to 0.25 after fires. The share of adventive plant species as well as plants native to steppe communities had increased in burnt areas. As a research result, it was established that forest fires led to a significant decrease in forest cover, area of long-term non-burning forests, unique plantations of woody plants, species diversity, indexes of species abundance accumulation and rare species, the share of plant communities in forest species and colonization of plant communities in burnt areas by alien species. The results of the work can be used in assessment of the impact of climate change and fires on biological diversity of forest communities in the region, development of measures for biodiversity conservation, planning of forest thinning and reforestation, etc.

Authors

V.P. Makarov, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Senior Research Scientist
O.F. Malykh, Research Scientist
I.V. Gorbunov, Candidate of Biological Sciences, Research Scientist
L.N. Pak, Candidate of Agricultural Sciences, Senior Research Scientist
Yu.V. Zima, Candidate of Geographical Sciences, Research Scientist
E.A. Banshchikova, Engineer
T.V. Zhelibo, Engineer

Affiliation

Institute of Natural Resources, Ecology and Cryology of the Siberian Branch of the RAS, ul. Nedorezova, 16a, Chita, 672014, Russian Federation; e-mail: vm2853@mail.ru

Keywords

Transbaikal territory, pine forest, climate, fires, floristic diversity

For citation

Makarov V.P., Malykh O.F., Gorbunov I.V., Pak L.N., Zima Yu.V., Banshchikova E.A., Zhelibo T.V. Influence of Fires on Pine Forest Floristic Diversity of the Eastern Transbaikal Territory. Lesnoy Zhurnal [Forestry Journal], 2019, no. 1, pp. 77–86. DOI: 10.17238/ issn0536-1036.2019.1.77

References

1. Burova N.V., Torbik D.N., Feklistov P.A. Izmeneniye floristicheskogo raznoobraziya posle vyborochnykh rubok v el’nikakh chernichnykh [Changes in Floral Diversity after Selective Thinning in Blueberry Spruce Forests]. Vestnik Moskovskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta lesa – Lesnoy vestnik [Moscow State Forest University Bulletin – Forestry Bulletin], 2010, no. 5, pp. 49–52.
2. Buryak L.V., Kukavskaya E.A., Kalenskaya O.P., Malykh O.F., Baksheeva E.O. Posledstviya lesnykh pozharov v yuzhnykh i tsentral’nykh rayonakh Zabaykal’skogo kraya [Effects of Forest Fires in Southern and Central Areas of the Zabaykal Region]. Sibirskiy lesnoy zhurnal [Siberian Journal of Forest Science], 2016, no. 6, pp. 94–102.
3. Evdokimenko M.D. Pirogennyye narusheniya lesorastitel’noy sredy v sosnyakakh Zabaykal’ya i ikh lesovodstvennyye posledstviya [Fire-Induced Disturbance of Forest Growth Habitat of Pines in Transbaikal and the Consequences for Silviculture]. Lesovedenie [Russian Journal of Forest Science], 2014, no. 1, pp. 3–12.
4. Malyshev L.I., Peshkova G.A. Osobennosti i genezis flory Sibiri (Predbaykal’ye i Zabaykal’ye) [Features and Genesis of Siberian Flora (Cisbaikal and Transbaikal)]. Novosibirsk, Nauka Publ., 1984. 265 p. (In Russ.)
5. Martynova M.V., Sultanova R.R., Sazgutdinova R.R. Vliyaniye rubok na sostoyaniye nizhnikh yarusov rastitel’nosti v lipovykh lesakh [Effect from Thinning on the State of Vegetation Understory in Linden Forests]. Sovremennoye sostoyaniye, traditsii i innovatsionnye tekhnologii v razvitii APK: materialy mezhdunar. nauch.-prakt. konf., Ufa, 14–17 marta 2017 g. Ch. 1 [Current State, Traditions and Innovation Technologies in De-velopment of the Agroindustrial Complex: Materials of the Int. Sci.-Pract. Conf., Ufa, March 14–17, 2017. Part 1]. Ufa, BSAU Publ., 2017, pp. 65–69.
6. Novosel’tseva I.F. Lesa Chitinskoy oblasti [Forests of Chita Region]. Lesa SSSR: v 5 t. T. 4. Lesa Urala, Sibiri i Dal’nego Vostoka [Forests of the USSR: In 5 Vol. Vol. 4. Forests of the Urals, Siberia and the Far East]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1969, pp. 438–468.
7. Obyazov V.A. Izmeneniya sovremennogo klimata i otsenka ikh posledstviy dlya prirodnykh i prirodno-antropogennykh sistem Zabaykal’ya: avtoref. dis. … d-ra geogr. nauk [Changes in the Current Climate and Assessment of Their Consequences for the Natural and Natural-Anthropogenic Systems of Transbaikal: Dr. Geogr. Sci. Diss. Abs.]. Kazan, 2014. 38 p.
8. Panarin I.I. Lesa Chitinskogo Zabaykal’ya [Forests of Chita Transbaikal]. Novosi-birsk, Nauka Publ., 1977. 232 p. (In Russ.)
9. Predbaykal’ye i Zabaykal’ye [Cisbaikal and Transbaikal]. Moscow, Nauka Publ., 1965. 492 p. (In Russ.)
10. Sergiyenko V.G., Ivanov A.M., Vlasov R.V., Antonov O.I. Drevesnyy opad i bioraznoobraziye na uchastkakh vyborochnykh rubok Leningradskoy oblasti [Tree Fall and Biodiversity in the Areas of Selective Cuttings of the Leningrad Region]. Trudy Sankt-Peterburgskogo nauchno-issledovatel’skogo instituta lesnogo khozyaystva [Proceedings of the Saint Petersburg Forestry Research Institute]. 2015, no. 3, pp. 4–19.
11. Bouchard M., Pothier D. Long-Term Influence of Fire and Harvesting on Boreal Forest Age Structure and Forest Composition in Eastern Québec. Forest Ecology and Management, 2011, vol. 261, iss. 4, pp. 811–820. DOI: 10.1016/j.foreco.2010.11.020
12. Hansen A.J., Spies T.A., Swanson F.J., Ohmann J.L. Conserving Biodiversity in Managed Forests: Lessons from Natural Forests. BioScience, 1991, vol. 41, iss. 6, pp. 382–392. DOI: 10.2307/1311745
13. Lavoie L., Sirois L. Vegetation Changes Caused by Recent Fires in the Northern Boreal Forest of Eastern Canada. Journal of Vegetation Science, 1998, vol. 9, no. 4, pp. 483–492. DOI: 10.2307/3237263
14. Schaich H., Milad M. Forest Biodiversity in a Changing Climate: Which Logic for Conservation Strategies? Biodiversity and Conservation, 2013, vol. 22, iss. 5, pp. 1107–1114. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-013-0491-7
15. Venier L.A., Thompson I.D., Fleming R., Malcolm J., Aubin I., Trofymow J.A., Langor D., Sturrock R., Patry C., Outerbridge R.O., Holmes S.B., Haeussler S., De Grandpré L., Chen H.Y.H., Bayne E., Arsenault A., Brandt J.P. Effects of Natural Resource Development on the Terrestrial Biodiversity of Canadian Boreal Forests. Environmental Reviews, 2014, vol. 22(4), pp. 457–490. DOI: 10.1139/er-2013-0075

Received on April 04, 2018