Evdokimenko M. D., Krasnoshchekov Yu. N. Forest Environmental Consequences of Pyrogenous Anomalies in the Basin of Baikal Lake

The nature of forest pyrogenous anomalies in the basin of Baikal, due to mainly arid climate of the region and the predominance of highly inflammable types of light needle coniferous forests discussed in the paper. Pyrological regimes (placid, moderate, intense, and extreme) in the full altitudinal range at different meteorological situations of the seasons were analyzed. Forest pyrogenous anomalies occur under intense and extreme conditions, especially during the spring and summer «high fire» season, as the establishment on a large part of the territory pyrological monotony with the full absence of incombustible areas of vegetation. Hence, a high risk of extensive landscape fires that happened in recent times, in 2003 and 2015. The forest ecosystems’ post-fire transformation have been studied: fire damages of forests; post pyrogenous dynamics of their viability and productivity; the main variations in forest forming process; changes in soil environment, including the ash content and acidity of forest litter, physical and chemical soil properties. Pyrogenic degradation of forest ecosystems will inevitably lead to degradation of the protective functions of the Baikal forests, the restoration of which after landscape fires takes many decades. Products of soils erosion from the burned areas complicate current alarming situation with the pollution of coastal waters in Baikal lake.