zemeunvalsts.lv note. The article is interesting in many respects. Firstly – even in Latvia, there will not be many people who view forest fires, even when controlled and monitored, in a positive light. Secondly, something that Latvian scientists have been talking about for quite some time, is the balance or rebalancing between the gains and losses for biodiversity and the climate (the article mentions that fires, which are undeniably unfriendly to the climate, turn into friendly ones from a biodiversity perspective). Thirdly, there is the situation where the number and scale of forest fires are naturally declining, which is why outside intervention is needed. Fourthly – how far-sighted is such an ostensibly correct but nevertheless artificial interference in nature, and where does the reasonableness of such interference begin and end? And finally, perhaps the least important but quite significant point – the headline, which is not really explained in the rest of the text. So far, there has not been much talk about scientifically grounded joy over forest fires in the Russian taiga, yet the article seems to outline the opposite for us...

Controlled environmental restoration fires in Finnish forests have attracted around 200 beetle species found in Finland, including many threatened and rare ones. In recent years, controlled burning carried out in state forests by Metsähallitus (the Finnish state-owned enterprise that uses, manages, and protects state-owned land and water areas) has created a favourable habitat for hundreds of insect species. At one of the fire sites, after a certain period, nearly half of the beetle species that inhabit former fire sites were identified, as well as half of the Aradus species found in Finland. In some places, up to 200 beetle species "arrived" in the very first year after the fire to inhabit the dead wood; fungi, lichens, and insectivorous birds also appeared in these locations.

“Many species whose existence depends on dead wood arrive at forest fire sites from adjacent forests, where they inhabit spontaneously formed (fallen) dead wood – usually, the range and ecological value of species increase along with the quality and age of the surrounding forests,” explains Sampsa Malmbergs, a nature conservation specialist at Metsähallitus.

As burnt forests are one of the rarest habitats in Finland, Metsähallitus has carried out controlled (restorative) forest burning in 14 locations with a total area of 344 hectares over the last four years. Of the beetles found in Finland, 37 species choose former fire sites as their primary or secondary habitat. It should be added that burning in some protected areas promoted the growth of aspen seedlings, which is vital for hundreds of other species. Subsequent inventorying in these areas revealed significant differences in the range of beetle species found in burnt and unburnt areas, specifically, the number of species identified in burnt areas was 1.5-2 times higher than in areas untouched by fire. In terms of the number of individuals found, the difference was tenfold in favour of the burnt sites.

The goal of burning is to imitate natural forest fires. The burning sites were chosen close to the habitats of the relevant species.

In restoration burning (restoration burnings), the main focus was on six insect species defined as “umbrella species”, meaning they are organisms whose conservation indirectly protects many other species.

Stephanopachys linearis, the beetle, Aradus angularis, Boros schneideri and Phryganophilus ruficollis are either dependent on fire sites or benefit from access to them, while Xyletinus tremulicola benefits from the aspen growing in fire sites.

“We chose burning sites close to the target species' habitats to ensure these species could spread to the fire sites. Subsequent monitoring of the area showed that in most cases this was successful, so it is clear that the burning was necessary,” S. Malmbergs assesses.

For millions of years, forest fires have been a significant part of life in boreal coniferous forests. From the 17th century until the mid-1850s, approximately one percent of pine forests in Finland burned down each year. As fires occur much less frequently in Finland today, this is the main reason for the endangered status of 21 forest beetle species; it should be added that six insect species have gone extinct in Finland.

What dies, what survives

During burning, the fire spreads in a controlled manner across the forest floor, usually in a former commercial forest site. Most of the burning work planned in the Metsähallitus project was carried out in places that had been regularly burnt for years before the start of the project. The proximity of the Russian border is considered a favourable factor in this regard. During hot summers, the smell and smoke of forest fires in Russia have reached Finland even from fires hundreds of kilometres away. It should be added that Finland and Russia share a land border of about 1300 kilometres.

“Across the border, forest fires are more frequent than in Finland, which also helps fire-dependent species to survive,” adds S. Malmbergs.

Burning in commercial forests

In western Finland, the number of species dependent on fire sites has decreased, and some species have disappeared. “These insect species are constantly faced with the need to find new burn sites within the area they can move through, as soon as the current burn site changes over time and is no longer suitable for living,” explains S. Malmbergs.

Biodiversity benefits are more important than climate losses

For the majority of Europeans, controlled burning as a method of nature management is unfamiliar; it must be remembered here that the number of dangerous fires has increased in all parts of the world and the amount of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere is rising.

During a forest fire, carbon dioxide is released into the atmosphere as wood and vegetation burn. The controlled burning of ten hectares (which corresponds to about 14 football pitches) is equivalent to the average annual fuel consumption of 80 passenger cars.

Controlled burning is a certain balance between climate problems and biodiversity gains. Although we lose a little in terms of the climate, it is generally considered that the biodiversity gains in this case are more important. The aim of burning is to cause some trees to die, which also means that carbon dioxide will gradually be released from the decaying wood. As the dead and perished trees are replaced by new ones, the forest eventually stores about the same amount of carbon dioxide as was released by the burning.

EU funding makes burning possible

Metsähallitus controlled burn sites are part of the Natura network, which covers almost a fifth (18%) of the EU's land territory and almost 6% of its sea. The goal of the Natura network is to ensure the long-term conservation of the most valuable and threatened species and habitats in Europe.

The restoration burning works mentioned in the article were part of the LIFE project Beetles, with EU funding accounting for 60%, i.e., 1.6 million euros. The LIFE programme is the only EU programme focused solely on the environment, nature conservation, and climate action.

“Without EU funding, we would not have been able to implement the project. The same applies to many LIFE projects, where the share of EU funding is usually 60-70% of the total budget,” says S. Malmbergs.

The continuity of fires will be ensured in the future as well. Finland and Sweden recently started the Life2Taiga project, which is also co-financed by the EU and has a total budget of 23.5 million euros.

https://forest.fi/article/wildfires-in-russia-affect-nature-on-finlands-eastern-border/#12e93d24