Anthropogenic dynamics of sub-climax forests of the southern Russian Far East
Margarita N. CHIPIZUBOVA1, Viktor M. URUSOV2, Boris S. PETROPAVLOVSKY3
1 Pacific Institute of Geography FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia
2 Far Eastern Federal University, Vladivostok, Russia
3 Botanical Garden-Institute FEB RAS, Vladivostok, Russia
Reduction of forest cover of the most complex conifer-broadleaf forests of the
Russian Far East, traced through pollen-spore spectra, and also through oldgrowth
trees and their remnants testifies to a slow regeneration of the forest even
with reduced human activity. Reduced human activity did not lead to a regeneration
of sub-climax forests in broad river valleys and on slopes up to the first hundred
meters in altitude above sea level. By studying the age of a large quantity of
Taxus cuspidata (from 1 500 years on the islands in Peter the Great Bay in the
Sea of Japan, to 800 years and about 500 years old on the coast), and the age of
large stems of Betula schmidtii in the Nature Reserve "Kedrovaya Pad", we calculated
a reduction of fires about 1500 years ago on the islands, and about 800
and 400 years ago on the mainland. From the 18th century to 1860 forest cover
in Primorsky region increased to 75 %, and conifer and conifer-broadleaf forests
occupied 57.3 % of the territory versus, respectively, 62 % and 32 % in 2001.
Reserves of timber in coniferous forests on average fell by not less than 1/3. Subclimax
ecosystems of Abies holophylla, and Pinus koraiensis were preserved on
not more than 15 % of the area occupied by these formations.
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