Kamchatka 2008 blog

 

We have recently returned from an exploratory trip up the Anavgiy river valley to scout for more locations for our forest plots. Sadly this proved fruitless as it appears that large tracts of forest were destroyed in recent years by a series of devastating fires. This seems to be a common picture in the region, and the main difference I've noticed in the ten years since I last visited has been the increase in burnt areas. This is not necessarily the result of increased human activity - in fact, the population is declining and becoming more concentrated in a few areas. It's more likely to be the result of an interaction with climate change.

 

Over recent years, Kamchatka has experienced a series of extremely hot summers. I spoke recently with a retired hunter who observed that he had experienced nothing comparable in 58 years living in Esso village. These conditions are in parallel to those we've witnessed in Europe, with the difference being that out here the forests of larch and pine are still widespread and extremely vulnerable to wildfires. Once a fire starts, it spreads more rapidly and over a much greater area than before. Moreover, there are simply not the resources or manpower in this remote region to tackle the blazes. The result is countless hectares of forest being razed.

 

There are still intact areas, but it appears we will have to travel further afield to find them. Our plan is to relocate on Thursday to an area in the east where we have been assured there are still extensive tracts of old-growth forest. There we hope to set up more plots, and it will make an interesting comparison with the montane forests we have surveyed so far. Nevertheless, we're now behind schedule on the main project, and in need of some good fortune to catch up.