Heikki Kauhanen

Occurrence of fires in the eastern Saariselkä area, north-west Russia

Kauhanen H. (2002). Occurrence of fires in the eastern Saariselkä area, north-west Russia. Silva Fennica vol. 36 no. 1 article id 569. https://doi.org/10.14214/sf.569

Abstract

The occurrence of fires was studied in the eastern Saariselkä area, North-West Russia, by using satellite images and topographical maps. In total, more than 330 burned areas were pinpointed in the study area of 4770 km2. Old burns were concentrated in the eastern part of the study area, but young burns were more common in the west. Sites affected by fires in the more recent past were much smaller than those burnt over earlier. The abundance of burns along rivers and the border surveillance road provided evidence of human impact. The most significant changes in the landscape were found in the eastern part of the study area, where spruce forests had been replaced by birch woodlands.

Keywords
fire; anthropogenic fire; burn; Russia; satellite image; vegetation mosaic

Received 9 November 2000 Accepted 8 February 2002 Published 31 December 2002

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