Publication Date:
2002-05-01
Description:
To assess regional stores of coarse woody debris (CWD) in seven major forest regions of Russia, we combined data collected as part of the routine forest inventory with measurements in 1044 sample plots and the results of density sampling of 922 dead trees. The stores of CWD in the western part of Russia (St. Petersburg, Central, Khanty-Mansi, and Novosibirsk regions) were on average lower (1420 m3/ha or 4.05.8 Mg/ha) than in the East Siberian and Far Eastern regions (4051 m3/ha or 11.014.4 Mg/ha). The difference in CWD stores was particularly large between young forests in two western regions (2.4 Mg/ha in St. Petersburg and 3.4 Mg/ha in the Central region) and in the east (20.424.4 Mg/ha). This difference is associated with the prevailing disturbance type: clear-cut harvest in western Russia and natural disturbances in the east. Analysis of variance in CWD stores indicates that region, dominant species, forest age group, productivity class, and interactions of these factors explain 8788% of the total variance and the strongest effects are for age group and region. Lower stores of CWD within the intensively managed forest regions suggest that further expansion of forest use in many regions of Russia may reduce regional stores of CWD and carbon.
Print ISSN:
0045-5067
Electronic ISSN:
1208-6037
Topics:
Agriculture, Forestry, Horticulture, Fishery, Domestic Science, Nutrition