Larch Forest in Krasnoyarsk

Many people picture Russia as a vast expanse of wild old growth forests, limitless and untouched by human exploitation. On the contrary, with the inability of the Russian government to maintain and enforce forest management practices, illegal logging and destructive resource extraction affect large areas (figure 20.1). Estimates of recent rates of deforestation are as high as 20,000 km² annually, which is comparable to the annual rate of forest clearing in the Brazilian Amazon Basin. Fragmentation of forested regions by roads, rail, and infrastructure continues to increase, with no soundplan for maintaining large-scale wilderness and wildlife habitat. Fragmentation also increases fire susceptibility, further stressing the forests. As the demand for timber resources continues to rise in the markets of China and South East Asia, Russian forests will be increasingly threatened, and along with them the distinct and unique biodiversity that makes these forests invaluable.

The threats to Russia’s forests are not limited to logging and fire, though. With the continuing rise of global temperatures, localized melting of permafrost as well as the drying of the boreal micro-climates will release CO₂ and CH₄ to the atmosphere, adding to the earth’s greenhouse effect. The warming is likely to increase the number and size of disturbances, such as fire and invasive pest outbreaks, thereby creating a positive feedback to global warming. Research underway also suggests that climatic change could potentially disrupt Arctic and Sub-Arctic ecosystems and increase fresh-water flow to the Arctic sea. This increased flow could, in turn, drastically alter oceanic circulation and further perturb global climate regimes.

Changes in forest composition and dynamics have far reaching implications for indigenous cultures, livelihoods, industrialization and resource extraction, and wildlife. Our first step towards combating the potentially catastrophic effects of warming is to understand the role of Russian forests in global climate, now and throughout history. Then we will be better able to predict the effects of land-use decisions on both forests and climate.

(2232 signs)