Variability of Fire Behavior, Fire Effects, and Emissions in Scotch Pine Forests of Central Siberia

Abstract

As part of the Russian FIRE BEAR (Fire Effects in the Boreal Eurasia Region) Project, replicated 4-ha experimental fires were conducted on a dry Scotch pine (Pinus sylvestris)/lichen (Cladonia sp.)/feathermoss (Pleurozeum schreberi) forest site in central Siberia. Observations from the initial seven surface fires (2000-2001) ignited under a range of burning conditions quantified the different fuel consumption and fire behavior characteristics (e.g., rate of spread, fireline intensity, etc.) possible in this particular forest fuel type. Experimental results and dendrochronological study of local fire history both support the dominance of local fire regimes by low to moderate-intensity surface fires. Carbon released by the experimental fires ranged from 4.8 to 15.4 t C ha− 1 depending on fuel conditions and fire severity. Preliminary emission data show a strong correlation between carbon dioxide (CO2) and carbon monoxide (CO) emissions, which should facilitate accurate estimates of fire impacts on atmospheric chemistry. Carbon concentration in smoke samples was related to fire severity. The short landscape-scale fire-return interval (50 years), combined with typically low fire severity, in pine ecosystems of central Siberia is often associated with low tree mortality and relatively rapid buildup of litter and understory fuels after a fire.