Forest Club model projects and sites

4.4 Other Factors Impacting the Forests

In addition to the impact of modern forestry methods, the integrity of the European boreal forest is threatened by other factors. These include pollution - stationary and acidification, illegal logging, and destruction caused by mining and mineral prospecting. These are discussed briefly below. Other impacts to consider are overgrazing of both coniferous and deciduous seedlings by large game species such as moose. In some places in Russia overgrazing of reindeer also appears to impact the forest (Syroechkovskiy 1986).

Recreation, especially heavy around large settlements, may affect the biological diversity and the state of old-growth forests. Introduction of exotic mammal species, such as the Canadian beaver, capable of transforming the environment also can threaten the natural forest.

4.4.1 Mining and Air Pollution

The boreal forests of Fennoscandia and Northern European Russia are negatively affected by pollution from stationary sources and acidification from airborne pollution. Ninety percent of acid deposition in Sweden and Norway comes from other countries, primarily the United Kingdom, Germany, and Poland. When compared to the rest of Europe, boreal European forests and waters are especially sensitive to acid deposition (Posch et al. 1999).

Mining and extraction of oil and gas pose a serious threat to Russian forests both in terms of the physical mining of forest land, anthropogenic fires and the air pollution and acidification caused by the mining and processing industries. Some hotspots include: Kirovsk and Apatity, Pechenga and Monchhegorsk in the Murmansk Oblast. Thus, atmospheric pollution damaged 2.7% (0.2% stands have died) of all forests in the Murmansk Oblast around the Pechenga Nickel Plant at the Russian-Norwegian border and the Severonikel Plant in Monchegorsk (Zaitseva and Kobyakov 1999).

Iron mining and processing in Kostomuksha, in Karelia have caused the decline of old-growth forests at a distance of 10 km around the plant. Other large polluters are aluminum smelters in Nadvoitsy (Karelia) and Kandalaksha (Murmansk Oblast). Plesetskiy Polygon in Arkhangelsk Oblast is the site from which almost 40% of world's ballistic and space vehicles were launched. This complex is an important source of fires and pollution in the immediate vicinity. The forests of Komi and Arkhangelsk Oblast are also impacted by fire and chemical pollution caused by falling rocket stages from space launches. Also in Komi, coal mining has destroyed soils and vegetation around the Vorkuta and Inta areas of the Pechora River basin and causes serious pollution at a distance of 100-200 km around mines. Oil extraction near Usinsk, Vozey and Ukhta, natural gas leakage near Vuktyl, potential gold mining in Yugyd Va National Park in Komi, mineral exploration in the Lapland Forest in Murmansk region and the eastern part of the Kola peninsula, diamond mining in the Arkhangelsk region, and past industrial nuclear explosions also are on the list of impacts on the forests (The State Report on... 1994; Method Development for Inventorying... 1998).

Stricter regulations on mineral extraction and processing industries may make the situation in Fennoscandia slightly less severe than in neighboring Russia; however, mining poses a potential threat to the forest are threatened by mining. Sweden has a relatively liberal mineral prospecting law, which allows prospecting in nature reserves. Although today old-growth forests may not be under direct threat of mining, it is unclear as to what would happen if valuable minerals were found under nature reserve land.

Mining presents a potential threat in the far northeast of Norway. In the Pasvik valley in Finnmark, close to the Russian border, an area with the most remaining old-growth forest in Norway, mineral exploration companies are now seeking for minerals. This is also a potential issue in the coming years in the county of Nord-Tröndelag.

4.4.2 Climate Change

Boreal forests are sensitive to climate change. Climate modeling shows that a climactic warming can lead to a northward shift of the boreal forests biome, replacing the northern edge with tundra and the southern with temperate broad-leaf forests dramatically changing the current boundaries of the boreal region (Swedish EPA 1999).

4.4.3 Illegal Logging in Russia

Illegal logging is a threat to the boreal forests in Russia (Russia's Forests: Barriers... 1999). Regarding the area of this inquiry and specifically threats to old-growth forests, perhaps, large scale illegal logging is not such a threat. Illegal logging is most widespread in more heavily populated regions with a developed road network. In these areas there are very little if any old-growth forests remaining. However, there are many various legal violations regarding logging and timber procurement, which are common in Northern European Russia. These are difficult to measure quantitatively. The most common, for example, are logging in protected areas, unmotivated salvage logging by regional forest authorities (leskhozes), use of improper technologies, over-harvesting, and violation of logging licenses. Despite the widespread nature of these violations they do not come close to the forest destruction caused by logging practices allowed under the current laws.

Back to The Last of The Last title page

Back to Forest Club Publications page