Abstract-Methodological aspects of investigation into the dynamics of pyrological regimes and their effect on natural ecosystems have been considered. It seems reasonable to combine different data on the history of forest fires in order to reveal the long-term dynamics of pyrological regimes. This allows one to eliminate certain disadvantages that are to some extent peculiar to separate methods. The dynamics of pyrological regimes at the main landscape stows in southern taiga of Siberian regions near the Yenisei over the last three centuries has been analyzed. The deviations of modern pyrological regimes from those in the past are quantitatively estimated. Probable ecological and forestry consequences of changes in pyrological regimes and possible ways to govern the pyrogenic factor for the purpose of stabilizing ecosystems are discussed.
DOI: 10.1134/S1995425508020124Fires have a strong effect on the ecosystem structure, composition and functioning [1][2][3][4]. Analysis of the frequency of fires allows us to reveal the factors that control their dynamics.At present, the frequency of fire events over several centuries is known for some regions of Eurasia [5][6][7][8][9] and North America [10][11][12][13][14][15]. The frequency of fires was determined in the majority of cases as an average value over three centuries and more; however, no attention has been paid to the dynamics of fire events in connection with the action of various factors. Meanwhile, the space-time regularities of fire frequency are of essential interest because they can be used to control the pyrogenic factor in order to conserve and form a definite type of vegetation. For example, under different extents of fire action on ecosystems, forest communities with a complicated mosaic vegetation form, which differ in composition, age and structure. In this situation, management of the pyrogenic factor in each specific case should imply either fire extinguishing or provision of the possibility for fire to spread within the boundaries of definite ecosystems, or the application of the prescribed prophylactic burning of the forest combustible materials (FCM).
METHODOLOGY OF THE INVESTIGATIONOF THE DYNAMICS OF PYROLOGICAL REGIMES In order to govern the pyrogenic factor, the necessary element for which should be the forecast of postfire forest-forming process, it is extremely important to know the frequency of fires during many years and the intervals between fires that had been historically ingrained in specific ecosystems and have determined the modern look of the vegetation within the boundaries of those ecosystems. Investigations of the long-term frequency of fire events, their intensities and propagation features allowed the researchers, as early as the 1970s, to make a conclusion concerning the existence of special conditions promoting the manifestation of statistically probabilistic law at the beginning of fire events and determining the level of burning ability of natural territorial complexes (NTC) of different ranks [1]. It was proposed to expre...
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