Scientific cooperation on the problem of forest fires in Siberia (to the 30th anniversary of the Bor international experiment)

• Main Authors: G. A. Ivanova, E. K. Kisilyakhov
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: English; Russian
• Published: Russian Academy of Sciences, Siberian Branch Publishing House 2023
• Subjects: pyrogenic factors in boreal forests of eurasia; forest fire monitoring; international cooperation; Forestry; SD1-669.5; Bor; Forest Island; taiga; Siberia
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.15372/SJFS20230615; https://doaj.org/article/772d13e703bb4f41be27e618bbf1cb61

The article presents the results of thirty years of international cooperation on the problem of forest fires with scientists from Europe and America. During this period, international conferences, meetings, and joint experimental studies were conducted on forest fires modeling and post-fire succession monitoring in the boreal forests of Siberia. The Bor Forest Island Fire Experiment was conducted in 1993 in the Krasnoyarsk Region to study the burning of biomass in the Middle Taiga pine forest. The experiment was a simulated controlled high-intensity forest fire. The experimental fire behavior and fire emissions parameters obtained made it possible to conduct post-fire monitoring and assess the effects of fire on forest components. The Bor Forest Island Fire Experiment was unique in its size and long term monitoring of post-fire reforestation. In 1996, joint international studies were launched to conduct controlled burning of logged sites in order to reduce fire danger and stimulate reforestation processes in clear-cuts in lowland and mountain fir forests with ground vegetation as mixed grasses and green mosses. In order to study the impact of fires on ecosystem components, experiments were conducted during the same period to simulate fires of varying intensity in Southern Taiga and Middle Taiga pine forests. In terms of the level of comprehensive research and the depth of their study, the experiments are unique and were conducted for the first time for the boreal forests of Russia. After controlled burning and experiments, the process of post-fire reforestation was monitored. Scientific cooperation and exchange of experience with colleagues from other countries have enriched domestic forest fire science with foreign experience and knowledge, and also made the results of research by Russian scientists available to the international scientific community.