Early post‐fire tree regeneration in a Picea‐Vaccinium forest in northern Sweden

Abstract

Abstract. Age and size structure of saplings of Picea abies, Pinus sylvestris and Betula pubescens were examined in a 26‐yr old forest fire area in a Picea abies‐Vaccinium myrtillus forest in northern Sweden. Picea , which is a shade‐tolerant species, had its maximum regeneration prior to the shade‐intolerant Pinus. The shift from Picea to Pinus regeneration in the late 1970s, did not seem to be related to variations in summer temperature. Instead, it is suggested that Picea established in the shade created by dead trees, and, that increased reindeer browsing of Betula in combination with a simultaneous thinning of the tree layer, favoured Pinus recruitment. These regeneration patterns do not confirm conventional views of post‐fire succession in Sweden.