2025 Field Research

A prescribed silvicultural fire on a clearcut in Eastern Finland. Photo: N. Kokkonen

While this may seem a bit early to be winding down field work, here in the boreal forest of eastern Finland, the frost has already arrived. The leaves are yellowed and falling and there's no saying when the first snow may arrive. Our data collection and work in the forest are drawing to a close.

A fine day taking soil samples for labortory work Photo: M. Rebiffé

This year, we established a new research site near Ilomantsi, Finland that will be burned for nature conservation and restoration. Unfortunately, due to a cold and wet start to the summer, we were unable to burn this year. However, that did not prevent us from establishing connections with Metsähallitus (Finnish state forest management) for conducting my research and establishing sampling points across the site. I carried out the first measurements and collected samples throughout the summer to create a set of pre-fire baseline data. These included greenhouse gas fluxes, vegetation cover measurements, and soil samples.

I also continued measuring greenhouse gas fluxes in a prescribed burn area in central Finland (near Leppävirta). This are was burned in June of 2024 with fairly high severity and I can already see the vegetation recovery starting as forbs, shrubs, and trees begin to regrow from root systems or sprout from seed. It will be exciting to see how this site changes over time!

A podzol profile: the top 3 layers of mineral soil with natural colouration below a moderate severity fire. Photo: M. Rebiffé

This summer was exceptionally hot during July as an extreme period of heat kept temperatures over 30˚ C for the entire month. This had consequences for our established research, but also presented some new opportunities. Several natural fires were sparked by thunderstorms throughout the region as well as the rest of the country. This gave me the opportunity to study soil properties and gas exchange from natural wildfire sites that occurred under extreme drought and heat conditions - a consequence of climate change that we expect to see more often. This is still undergoing lab work and I will have more to say in the future!

Overall, despite no new prescribed fires, this field season was a success in continuing both long-term research and starting work in exciting new directions!

A severe wildfire earlier this summer consumed the upper organic layers and surface fuels from this site leaving reddish sand oxidized by the intense heat. Despite this, the few few pioneer plants have already germinated. Photo: N. Kokkonen