Abstract
The effect of climate change on the distribution, intensity, and transforming role of wild fires is considered. A general overview of the current wild fire regimes (WRs) and impacts on forest ecosystems and environment is provided. One distinctive feature of WRs is the increasing frequency of disastrous wild fires. The application of various remote sensing instruments has shown that the average vegetation wild fire area in Russia for 1998–2010 accounted for 8.2 ± 0.8 × 106 ha, with about two-thirds of wildfires occurring on forest lands and half on the forested lands. The average annual fire carbon balance during the above period was 121 ± 28 Tg C yr−1, including 92 ± 18 Tg C yr−1 emitted from the forested land. The forecasts based on the General Circulation Models suggest the dramatic acceleration of fire regimes by the end of the 21st century. Taking into account the increase in the dryness of the climate and the thawing of permafrost, this will likely lead to a dramatic loss of forested area and the impoverishment of the forest cover over a major part of the forest zone. A transition to adaptive forestry would allow a substantial decrease of the expected losses. This paper takes a brief look at the general principals of adapting forest fire protection system to climate change, which is considered an integral part of the transition to sustainable forest management in Russia.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Aerokosmicheskii monitoring katastroficheskikh pozharov v lesakh Vostochnoi Sibiri (Aerospace Monitoring of Disastrous Fires in Eastern Siberia), Sukhinin, A.I., Ed., Krasnoyarsk: Inst. Lesa, Sib. Otd. Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2009.
Bartalev, S.A., Development of methods for assessment of conditions and growth of the forests based on satellite monitoring, Extended Abstract of Doctoral Sci. (Tekhn.) Dissertation, Moscow: Inst. Kosm. Issled., Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2007.
Valendik, E.N., Environmental conditions of fires in Siberia, Sib. Ekol. Zh., 1996, no. 1, pp. 1–8.
Vivchar, A.V., Moiseenko, K.B., and Pankratova, N.V., Estimates of carbon monoxide emissions from wildfires in Northern Eurasia for air quality assessment and climate modeling, Izv.: Atmos. Ocean. Phys., 2010, vol. 46, no. 3, pp. 281–293.
Doklad ob osobennostyakh klimata na territorii Rossiiskoi Federatsii za 2012 god (A Report on Climate Peculiarities on the Territory of Russian Federation in 2012), Moscow: Rosgidromet RF, 2013.
Zamolodchikov, D.G., Natural and anthropogenic concepts of current climate warming, Vestn. Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2013, vol. 83, no. 3, pp. 227–235.
Isaev, A.P., Natural and anthropogenic dynamics of larch forests of cryolite zone in Yakutia, Extended Abstract of Doctoral Sci. (Biol.) Dissertation, Yakutsk: Inst. Biol. Probl. Kriolitozon., Sib. Otd. Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2011.
Laverov, N.P. and Lupyan, E.A., Report presented at the Conference devoted to anniversary of Academician of R.Z. Sagdeev, 2013. http://www.forestforum.ru/viewtopic.phpf=9&t=14001
Man’ko, Yu.I. and Gladkova, G.A., Usykhanie eli v svete global’nogo ukhudsheniya sostoyaniya temnokhvoinykh lesov (Drying of Spruce in Conditions of Deterioration Conditions of the Dark Coniferous Forests), Vladivostok: Dal’nauka, 2001.
Ostroshenko, V.V., Forest fires at the north of Far East, Severo-Vostochnaya Aziya: vklad v global’nyi lesopozharnyi tsikl (Input of Northeastern Asia into the Global Forest-Fire Cycle), Goldammer, Y.G. and Kondrashov, L.G., Eds., Khabarovsk: Tikookean. Lesn. Forum, 2006, pp. 224–245.
Sedykh, V.N., Lesoobrazovatel’nyi protsess (Forest-Formation Process), Novosibirsk: Nauka, 1990.
Sokolova, G.V., Fire-hazardous peculiarities of a region, Severo-Vostochnaya Aziya: vklad v global’nyi lesopozharnyi tsikl (Input of Northeastern Asia into the Global Forest-Fire Cycle), Goldammer, Y.G. and Kondrashov, L.G., Eds., Khabarovsk: Tikookean. Lesn. Forum, 2006, pp. 136–163.
Sokolova, G.V. and Teteryatnikova, E.P., Study of evolution and a role of large forest fires in Eastern Siberia and Far East in atmospheric processes, in Upravlenie lesnymi pozharami na ekoregional’nom urovne (Management of Forest Fires at the Environmental Regional Level), Moscow: Aleks, 2003, pp. 151–155.
Telitsyn, G.P., A problem of large forest fire protection on the Far East, Sb. Tr. — Dal’nevost. Nauchno-Issled. Inst. Lesn. Khoz., 1984, no. 26, pp. 113–119.
Telitsyn, G.P., Prophylactic of forest fires on the Far East, in Severo-Vostochnaya Aziya: vklad v global’nyi lesopozharnyi tsikl (Input of Northeastern Asia into the Global Forest-Fire Cycle), Goldammer, Y.G. and Kondrashov, L.G., Eds., Khabarovsk: Tikookean. Lesn. Forum, 2006, pp. 363–386.
Shvidenko, A.Z., Shchepashchenko, D.G., and Nilsson, S., The data on current productivity of forest ecosystems of Russia, in Bazovye problemy perekhoda k ustoichivomu upravleniyu lesami Rossii — uchet lesov i organizatsiya lesnogo khozyaistva (General Problems of Transition to Sustainable Management of Russian Forests — Registration of Forests and Organization of Forest Economy), Krasnoyarsk: Inst. Lesa, Sib. Otd. Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2007, pp. 5–35.
Shvidenko, A.Z., Shchepashchenko, D.G., Vaganov, E.A., Sukhinin, A.I., Maksyutov, Sh.Sh., McCallum, I., and Lakida, I.P., Influence of natural fires in Russia in 1998-2010 on ecosystems and global carbon budget, Dokl. Ross. Akad. Nauk, 2011, vol. 441, no. 4, pp. 544–548.
Sheshukov, M.A. and Brusova, E.V., History of forest fires and fire conditions at the Far East, Severo-Vostochnaya Aziya: vklad v global’nyi lesopozharnyi tsikl (Input of Northeastern Asia into the Global Forest-Fire Cycle), Goldammer, Y.G. and Kondrashov, L.G., Eds., Khabarovsk: Tikookean. Lesn. Forum, 2006, pp. 105–135.
Sheshukov, M.A. and Brusova, E.V., Disastrous forest fires in Khabarovsk krai and Sakhalin Peninsula in 1998, Severo-Vostochnaya Aziya: vklad v global’nyi lesopozharnyi tsikl (Input of Northeastern Asia into the Global Forest-Fire Cycle), Goldammer, Y.G. and Kondrashov, L.G., Eds., Khabarovsk: Tikookean. Lesn. Forum, 2006, pp. 201–223.
Allen, C.D., Makalady, A.K., Chenchouni, H., Bachelet, D., McDowell, N., Vennetier, M., Kitzberger, T., Rigling, A., Breshears, D., Hogg, E.H. (Ted), Gonzalez, P., Fensham, R., Zhang, Z., Castro, J., Demidova, N., Lim, J.-H., Allard, G., Running, S.W., Semerci, A., and Cobb, N., A global overview of drought and heat-induced tree mortality reveals emerging climate change risk for forests, For. Ecol. Manage., 2010, vol. 259, pp. 660–684.
Amiro, B.D., Cantin, A., Flanningan, M.D., and de Groot, W.J., Future emissions from Canadian boreal forest fires, Can. J. For. Res., 2009, vol. 39, pp. 383–395.
Balshi, M.S., McGuire, A.D., Zhuang, Q., Melillo, J., Kicklighter, D.W., Kasischke, E., Wirth, C., Flannigan, M., Harden, J., Clein, J.S., Burnside, T.J., McAllister, J., Kurz, W.A., Apps, M., and Shvidenko, A., The role of historical fire disturbance in the carbon dynamics of the pan-boreal region: a process-based analysis, J. Geophys. Res., 2007, vol. 112. doi 10.1029/2006JG000380.
Barret, K., Kasischke, E.S., McGuire, A.D., Turetsky, M.R., and Kane, E.S., Modeling fire severity in black spruce stands in the Alaskan boreal forest using spectral and non-spectral geospatial data, Remote Sens. Environ., 2010, vol. 114, pp. 1494–1503.
Flannigan, M.D., Stocks, B.J., Turetsky, M.R., and Wotton, B.M., Impact of climate change on fire activity and fire management in the circumboreal forest, Global Change Biol., 2009, vol. 15, pp. 549–560.
Girardin, M.P. and Mudelsee, M., Past and future changes in Canadian boreal wildfire activity, Ecol. Appl., 2008, vol. 18, pp. 391–406.
Gustafson, E.J., Shvidenko, A.Z., and Sheller, R.M., Effectiveness of forest management strategy to mitigate effects of global change in south-central Siberia, Can. J. For. Res., 2011, vol. 41, pp. 1405–1421.
Gustafson, E.J., Shvidenko, A.Z., Sturtevant, B.S., and Sheller, R.M., Predicting global change effects on forest biomass and composition in south-central Siberia, Ecol. Appl., 2010, vol. 20(3), pp. 700–715.
Ivanova, G.A., The history of forest fire in Russia, Dendrochronologia, 1998–1999, vols. 16–17, pp. 147–161.
Jonsson, M. and Wardle, D.A., Structural equation modeling reveals plant-community drivers of carbon storage in boreal forest ecosystems, Biol. Lett., 2010, vol. 6, pp. 116–119.
Kaiser, J.W., Heil, A., Andrea, M.O., Benedetti, A., Chubarova, N., and Jones, L., Biomass burning emissions estimated with a global fire assimilation system based on observed fire radiative power, Biogeosciences, 2012, vol. 9, pp. 527–554.
Kajii, Y., Kato, S., Streets, D.G., Tsai, N.Y., Shvidenko, A., Nilsson, S., McCallum, I., Minko, N.P., Abushenko, N., Altyntsev, D., and Khodzer, T.V., Boreal forest fire in Siberia in 1998: estimation of area burned and emissions of pollutants by AVHRR satellite data, J. Geophys. Res., 2002, vol. 107. doi 10.1029/2001JD001078.
Kattsov, V., Govorkova, V., Meleshko, V., Pavlova, T., and Shkolnik, I., Climate change projections for Russia and Central Asia States, 2010. http://neacc.meteoinfo.ru/research/20-research/91-change-climat21-eng
Korovin, G.N., Analysis of distribution of forest fires in Russia, Fires in Ecosystems of Boreal Eurasia, Goldammer, J.G. and Furyaev, V.V., Eds., the Hague, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic, 1996, pp. 112–128.
Lentile, L.B., Holden, Z.A., Smith, A.M.S., Falkowski, M.J., Hudak, A.T., Morgan, P., Lewis, S.A., Gessler, P.E., and Benson, N.C., Remote sensing techniques to assess active fire characteristics and post fire effects, Int. J. Wildl. Fire, 2006, vol. 15, pp. 331–336.
Lenton, T.M., Held, H., Kriegler, E., Hall, J.W., Lucht, W., Rahmstorf, S., and Schellnhuber, H.J., Tipping elements in the Earth Climate System, Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U. S. A., 2008, vol. 105(6), pp. 1786–1793.
Malevsky-Malevich, S.P., Molkentin, E.K., Nadyozhina, E.D., and Shklyarevich, O.B., An assessment of potential change in wildfire activity in the Russian boreal forest zone induced by climate warming during the twenty-first century, Clim. Change, 2008, vol. 86, pp. 463–474.
Meleshko, V.P., Katsov, V.M., and Govorkova, V.A., Climate of Russia in the XXI century. 3. Future climate changes obtained from an ensemble of the coupled atmosphere-ocean GCM CMIP3, Meteorol. Hydrol., 2008, vol. 9, pp. 5–22.
Mokhov, I.I., Chernokulsky, A.V., and Shkolnik, I.M., Regional model assessments of fire risks under global climate changes, Dokl. Earth Sci., 2006, vol. 411, no. 9, pp. 1485–1488.
Randerson, J.T., Liu, H., Flanner, M.G., Chambers, S.D., Jin, Y., Hess, P.G., Pfister, G., Mack, M.C., Treseder, K.K., Welp, L.R., Chapin, F.S., Harden, J.W., Goulden, M.L., Lyons, E., Neff, J.C., Schuur, E.A., and Zender, C.S., The impact of boreal forest fire on climate warming, Science, 2006, vol. 314, pp. 1130–1132.
Schepaschenko, D., McCallum, I., Shvidenko, A., Fritz, S., Kraxner, F., and Obersteiner, M., A new hybrid land cover dataset for Russia: a methodology for integrating statistics, remote sensing and in situ information, J. Land Use Sci., 2011, vol. 6(4), pp. 245–259. doi 10.1080/1747423X.2010.511681.
Shvidenko, A., Schepaschenko, D., and McCallum, I., Bottom-Up Inventory of the Carbon Fluxes in Northern Eurasia for Comparisons with COSAT Level 4 Products, Luxemburg: Int. Inst. Appl. Syst. Anal., 2010.
Soja, A.J., Cofer, W.A., Shugart, H.H., Sukhinin, A.I., Stackhause, P.W., McRae, D.J., and Conard, S.G., Estimating fire emissions and disparities in boreal Siberia (1998–2002), J. Geophys. Res., 2004, vol. 109. doi 10/1029/2004JD004570.
Stocks, B.J., Mason, J.A., Todd, J.B., Bosh, E.M., Watton, B.M., Amiro, B.D., et al., Large forest fire in Canada, 1959–1997, J. Geophys. Res., 2002, vol. 108. doi 10.1029/2001JD000484.
Sukhinin, A.I., French, N.H.F., Kasischke, E.S., Hewson, J.H., Soja, A.J., Csiszar, I.A., Hyer, E.J., Loboda, T., Conrad, S.G., Romasko, V.I., Pavlichenko, E.A., Miskiv, S.I., and Slinkina, O.A., AVHRR-based mapping of fires in Russia: new products for fire management and carbon cycle studies, Remote Sens. Environ., 2004, vol. 93, pp. 546–564.
Tchebakova, N.M., Parfenova, E.I., and Soja, A.J., Effects of climate, permafrost, and fire on vegetation change in Siberia in a changing climate, Environ. Res. Lett., 2009, vol. 4. doi 10.1088/1748-9326/4/4/045013.
Van der Werf, G.R., Randerson, J.T., Giglio, L., Collatz, G.J., Mu, M., Kasibhatla, P.S., Morton, D.C., De Fries, R.S., Jin, Y., and van Leeuwen, T.T., Global fire emissions and the contribution of deforestation, savanna, forest, agricultural and peat fires (1997–2009), Atmos. Chem. Phys., 2010, vol. 10, pp. 11707–11735.
Yefremov, D.F. and Shvidenko, A.Z., Long-term environmental impact of catastrophic forest fires in Russia’s Far East and their contribution to global processes, Int. For. Fire News, 2004, vol. 32, pp. 43–49.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Original Russian Text © A.Z. Shvidenko, D.G. Schepaschenko, 2013, published in Lesovedenie, 2013, No. 5, pp. 50–61.
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Shvidenko, A.Z., Schepaschenko, D.G. Climate change and wildfires in Russia. Contemp. Probl. Ecol. 6, 683–692 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1134/S199542551307010X
Received:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1134/S199542551307010X