Using prescribed burning in forest management is increasing in Nordic boreal forests to restore habitats for threatened fire-dependent species and increase the long-term resilience of this key biome. However, forest fires, including prescribed burning, play a role in climate change and quickly convert the boreal forest from a carbon (C) sink to a source of greenhouse gasses as they burn. Currently, it is unclear how long burned areas are a C source, what the rates of gas fluxes are, and what are the role of different forest management practices and environmental factors on these rates. This project will quantify greenhouse gas fluxes after burning to provide information that can be used to reduce the impact of prescribed burning on the C balance in Nordic boreal forests. Measurements will be conducted in cooperation with an ongoing international restoration burning project. This network gives us direct contact to prescribed burning practitioners and stakeholders in Fennoscandia.
