Pyrogenic Transformations of the Baikal Lake Forests. Retrospective and Contemporary Issues
In the forests of the Baikal Lake basin annual fire activity historically has been higher as compared to surrounding forest areas due to specific climatic conditions and altitude-controlled vegetation structure. The regional forests, predominantly light coniferous, develop under a high or, in dry years, extreme-fire-activity regime. Common pine and larch tree stands of fire origin are periodically thinned by fire. The productivity of the fire-intact parts of such stands decreases as a result of fire-caused soil condition disturbances. In extreme fire years, large fires cover landscapes and lead to irreversible forest ecosystem degradation and, hence, to local deforestation. In the past, forest fire activity and area burned increased with increasing use of the regional forests beginning with hunting, wood extraction by dwellers of local settlements, Trans-Siberian Rail Road building and, finally, industrial-scale logging. In 1970-1980, the regional fire situation was successfully controlled due to improvements of forest use and protection. However, the recently relaxed forest economy standards have resulted in loss of the progress achieved.