After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland
On examples of n × 100 m<sup>2</sup> permanent plots laid in 2005 on peatlands disturbed by quarrying and milling peat extraction in Meshchera National Park (central European Russia), changes in vegetation cover and environmental factors during self-revegetation, the impact of wildfire,...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2022-12-01
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| Series: | Diversity |
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| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/1/3 |
| _version_ | 1827626793289383936 |
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| author | Anna Vozbrannaya Vladimir Antipin Andrey Sirin |
| author_facet | Anna Vozbrannaya Vladimir Antipin Andrey Sirin |
| author_sort | Anna Vozbrannaya |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | On examples of n × 100 m<sup>2</sup> permanent plots laid in 2005 on peatlands disturbed by quarrying and milling peat extraction in Meshchera National Park (central European Russia), changes in vegetation cover and environmental factors during self-revegetation, the impact of wildfire, and rewetting are considered. Peat extraction pits are overgrown with floating mats, on which mire, predominantly mesotrophic, vegetation is formed. Cofferdams with retained original mire vegetation contribute to the formation of a spatially diverse mire landscape, but they can also be prone to natural fires. The environmental conditions at the abandoned milled peat extraction sites do not favour natural overgrowth. The driest areas can remain with bare peat perennially. Such peatlands are the most frequent targets of wildfires, which have a severely negative impact and interrupt revegetation processes. Alien plant species emerge and disappear over time. To prevent wildfires and create conditions favourable for the restoration of mire vegetation, rewetting is required. With an average ground water level (GWL) during the growing season of −5 to +15 cm, mire vegetation can actively re-establish. Communities with near-aquatic and aquatic plants can form on flooded areas with GWL of +30. This generally contributes to both fire prevention and wetland diversity. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:02:33Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-382d618fe31f48c7b3df769ae9544b09 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 1424-2818 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-09T13:02:33Z |
| publishDate | 2022-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Diversity |
| spelling | doaj.art-382d618fe31f48c7b3df769ae9544b092023-11-30T21:52:38ZengMDPI AGDiversity1424-28182022-12-01151310.3390/d15010003After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover PeatlandAnna Vozbrannaya0Vladimir Antipin1Andrey Sirin2Meshchera National Park, ul. Internacionalnaya, 111, 601501 Gus-Khrustalny, RussiaInstitute of Biology, Karelian Research Center, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Pushkinskaya, 11, 185910 Petrozavodsk, RussiaPeatland Protection and Restoration Center, Institute of Forest Science, Russian Academy of Sciences, ul. Sovetskaya, 21, 143030 Uspenskoye, RussiaOn examples of n × 100 m<sup>2</sup> permanent plots laid in 2005 on peatlands disturbed by quarrying and milling peat extraction in Meshchera National Park (central European Russia), changes in vegetation cover and environmental factors during self-revegetation, the impact of wildfire, and rewetting are considered. Peat extraction pits are overgrown with floating mats, on which mire, predominantly mesotrophic, vegetation is formed. Cofferdams with retained original mire vegetation contribute to the formation of a spatially diverse mire landscape, but they can also be prone to natural fires. The environmental conditions at the abandoned milled peat extraction sites do not favour natural overgrowth. The driest areas can remain with bare peat perennially. Such peatlands are the most frequent targets of wildfires, which have a severely negative impact and interrupt revegetation processes. Alien plant species emerge and disappear over time. To prevent wildfires and create conditions favourable for the restoration of mire vegetation, rewetting is required. With an average ground water level (GWL) during the growing season of −5 to +15 cm, mire vegetation can actively re-establish. Communities with near-aquatic and aquatic plants can form on flooded areas with GWL of +30. This generally contributes to both fire prevention and wetland diversity.https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/1/3mireswetlandsdrainageecosystem restorationclimategroundwater |
| spellingShingle | Anna Vozbrannaya Vladimir Antipin Andrey Sirin After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland Diversity mires wetlands drainage ecosystem restoration climate groundwater |
| title | After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland |
| title_full | After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland |
| title_fullStr | After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland |
| title_full_unstemmed | After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland |
| title_short | After Wildfires and Rewetting: Results of 15+ Years’ Monitoring of Vegetation and Environmental Factors in Cutover Peatland |
| title_sort | after wildfires and rewetting results of 15 years monitoring of vegetation and environmental factors in cutover peatland |
| topic | mires wetlands drainage ecosystem restoration climate groundwater |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/1424-2818/15/1/3 |
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