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- Naumov, Vladimir
(författare)
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Intensification of wood production in NW Russia's Komi Republic : forest landscape history and biophysical conditions for tree growth
- 2014
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Licentiatavhandling (övrigt vetenskapligt/konstnärligt)abstract
- Globally, countries with forests and woodlands make attempts to manage their resources in sustainable way. In the boreal biome this has resulted in several policy documents regulating forest planning and operations at multiple levels of governance. For example, due to shortage of accessible forest intensified wood production is a priority in the Russian Federation. Intensification requires knowledge of the past use of boreal forest landscapes, as well as about effective silvicultural practices. I employed a case-study approach to understand the forest landscape history of local timber frontier in NW Russia’s Komi Republic (Paper 1), and made a comparative study of growth rates of young coniferous trees in NW Russia and Sweden (Paper 2). Three aspects of environmental history were examined in Paper 1: (1) changes in the natural environments of the past, (2) the technology or progress behind landscape development, (3) values, perception and ideology that supported changes. The results show that industrial utilization of boreal forest in NW Russia began in the end of 19th century, and attempts to intensify sustained-yield wood production were taken several times during the 20th century. In Komi the major industrial use of boreal forest started in 1927. Productive pine-dominated forests along rivers were harvested first. When transport infrastructures were developed spruce forests became accessible for harvest, and were logged and replaced by deciduous successions. However, pristine spruce forests along streams and those with a remote location remained. Forest landscape history thus provides knowledge about where forestry intensification could take place, as part of spatial planning that also considers the maintenance of green infrastructures for both human well-being and biodiversity. In paper 2 I tested the hypothesis that growth rates of young coniferous trees across latitudes in NW Russia and Sweden are the same. I therefore measured 5 long shoots of 30 young Scots pines and Norway spruces in 10 randomly selected stands in poor, mesic and rich site types at three latitudes in both countries. I did not find any significant difference in tree growth for Scots pine between the two countries. To conclude, introducing pre-commercial thinning widely is a prerequisite for sustained yield wood production. To satisfy increased needs for wood, as well as social and ecological dimensions of sustainable forest management, Russian and Soviet legacies of landscapes zoning approach should be maintained.
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| 2. |
- Naumov, Vladimir, et al.
(författare)
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Intensifying forestry in NW Russia? : the roles of landscape history and tree growth
- 2014
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Ingår i: Euroscapes Communication. - 2001-5801.
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Annan publikation (populärvet., debatt m.m.)abstract
- Inspired by Fennoscandian forestry, current Russian forest policy advocates intensification to reach higher sustained yields of wood as a base of economic growth. This requires knowledge about the consequences of regional forest histories, about the biological opportunities for tree growth, and about society. Focusing on a regional logging frontier in the Komi Republic in NW Russia we studied the history of wood use in terms of landscape changes, actors and their ideology. Past wood mining resulted in large areas of unmanaged young and middle-aged forests dominated by birch and aspen, and remnants of remotely located older spruce forests. To understand if biological conditions in NW Russia limit tree growth, we compared tree growth rates of young Scots pine and Norway spruce trees at different site types and latitudes in NW Russia and Sweden. While there was no difference in growth rate of young Scots pine between countries, Norway spruce grew more slowly in NW Russia. However, it was difficult to find young spruce trees growing freely without competition. Spatial planning is needed to segregate intensified wood production and forest management that also benefits rural development and biodiversity conservation. Ultimately, to succeed with intensification in the context of sustainable forest management also economy and society must be studied.
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