Forest Stand Formation on Exhausted Peat Bogs in the Northeastern Part of European Russia

Abstract

It has been established that purposeful construction of forest–meadow–bog agricultural landscapes on lands formerly used for industrial peat extraction is the most promising and environmentally-friendly way to restore biospheric functions of disturbed bog ecosystems. Planted forest stands play a special role in the ecological framework of newly-formed agricultural landscapes. Long-term studies showed that Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and silver birch (Betula pendula) form the basis of future forest plantations. The best results in artificial reforestation were achieved on residually gleyed degraded peat soils where the peat layer thickness does not exceed 20–30 cm, while the drainage rate is 80–100 cm. Conditions in the vicinity of open ameliorative ditches are optimal for the development of all tree and shrub species. In such cases, forest plantations form shelter belts 10–15 m wide. An alternative option is natural reforestation, but it features slower dynamics, and the growth rate of commercial timber resources is insignificant. In addition, the self-recovery process heavily depends on the depletion degree in the residual peat deposit and its water content. The proportion of forests in the structure of postbog forest–meadow landscapes must be at least 20–30%.