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Prescribed burning for boreal forest restoration: Evaluating challenges and conservation outcomes
Ellinor Ramberg1, Mattias Edman2, Gustaf Granath3
1Department of Ecology, Swedish University of Agricultural Science, Box 7044, 75007, Uppsala, Sweden. ellinorramberg@hotmail.com.
Ambio
|September 27, 2025
Summary
Prescribed burning in boreal forests can promote biodiversity, but success varies. Drier conditions and specific forest types like spruce stands improve outcomes, though wildfires occur under more extreme weather.
Area of Science:
- Forestry
- Ecology
- Conservation Science
Background:
- Prescribed burning is a key tool for boreal forest restoration, aiming to enhance biodiversity.
- Common goals include creating multi-layered forests, increasing deadwood, and generating fire scars.
- Understanding how weather and stand characteristics influence these restoration outcomes is crucial but limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the achievement of conservation objectives in Swedish prescribed burns.
- To analyze the relationship between burn outcomes, weather conditions, and stand characteristics.
- To compare weather patterns of prescribed burns with those of wildfires.
Main Methods:
- Surveyed 32 prescribed burns in Sweden.
- Assessed the achievement of conservation objectives.
- Compared weather data and seasonal timing between prescribed burns and wildfires.
Main Results:
- Conservation objectives showed high site-to-site variability.
- Outcomes were generally better under drier weather conditions and in stands with a higher proportion of spruce.
- Wildfires occurred under significantly drier conditions and later in the summer compared to prescribed burns.
Conclusions:
- Optimizing prescribed burning requires aligning conservation goals with specific stand characteristics and weather conditions.
- Prescribed burning effectiveness is influenced by environmental factors.
- Further research is needed to refine prescribed burning strategies for boreal forest restoration.
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