Tapio Lindholm , Harri Vasander

Vegetation and stand development of mesic forest after prescribed burning.

Lindholm T., Vasander H. (1987). Vegetation and stand development of mesic forest after prescribed burning. Silva Fennica vol. 21 no. 3 article id 5318. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15475

Abstract

This study deals with the succession of vegetation and tree stand in 16 mesic Myrtillus site type Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) plantations after prescribed burning in Evo, Southern Finland. The oldest tree stands studied were about 30-year-old. The growth of trees followed the height index of Myrtillus type. The vegetation was first mesic, dominated by grasses and herbs, turning more xeric after four years. This change was accelerated by treatment with herbicides. After the closure of tree stand, vegetation became more characteristic of forest vegetation, but pioneer species and composition disappeared slowly. The basic characters of vegetation succession could be clearly described by DCA ordination and TWINSPAN classification. The study confirmed that Myrtillus type has succession phases which are typical for each age phases as Cajander’s forest site type theory has proposed. However, differences in primary and secondary site factors have their own effects on the vegetation of the succession phases.

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Keywords
Pinus sylvestris; succession; forest types; Myrtillus type; controlled burning; prescibed burning; boreal zone

Published in 1987

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Available at https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.a15475 | Download PDF