Long-term differences in the dynamics within a natural forest landscape - consequences for management

Palaeoecological methods were used to study forest dynamics at stand and landscape scales in the Pechoro-Ilych Zapovednik in the Komi Republic in Russia. A survey of charcoal bands in peat deposits at 36 sites on a 160 km(2) area showed that the greater part of the landscape has burnt regularly. Here the landscape is dominated by Scots pine on dry soil. There are, however, Nor-way spruce sites, with a high permanent water table and with tall herb vegetation without traces of fire. Stand-scale, hi.-h-resolution pollen studies at one pine and one spruce site were consistent with the landscape results. Charcoal bands and fire-driven succession were observed at the pine site, whilst the spruce site had no evidence of fire during at least the last 2600 years. This study shows that the main part of this natural landscape has been regularly affected by fire, but also that there are networks of stands at a landscape scale that form stable fire-free refuge with a continuous forest cover. The presence of such a strong contrast in disturbance regimes within one landscape has important implications for the management of biological diversity in forestry. (C) 2002 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.