Large-Scale Disturbances in Boreal Forest Dynamics: Fire, Bog and Substrate Effects

McLaren, B.E. (1989). Large-Scale Disturbances in Boreal Forest Dynamics: Fire, Bog and Substrate Effects. IIASA Working Paper. IIASA, Laxenburg, Austria: WP-89-096

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Abstract

This literature survey summarizes the work of authors describing flooding and fire disturbances in forest ecosystems. The development of patterned or "aapa" bogs in the boreal forest is interpreted as a regional phenomenon closely related to precipitation, soil processes, permafrost and fluctuations in the water table. Peat accumulation is described as a balance between production and decomposition of boreal mosses, with some mention made of ericaceous vascular plants. Factors listed influencing production and decay include physical climate and nutrient concentrations in groundwater. Similar relationships are quantified between physical climate and the probability of forest fire ignition, its spread and its impact on vegetation and organics in the boreal forest. While not all modelling work summarized in this paper was originally written for the boreal forest region, the intention is to adapt a range of models to two subroutines, relating fire occurrence and bog development to the physical climate and the vegetation structure of a Boreal Forest Stand Simulator, thereby incorporating disturbance into a dynamic computer model.

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