DOI

This paper presents a landscape-ecological analysis of Ladoga Region, a 30 000 km2 territory around Lake Ladoga, which is the largest lake in Europe. The Region includes the contact zone between the crystalline bedrock of Baltic Shield and the sedimentary rocks of the East European plain, and the transition from Boreonemoral to Southern Boreal (Taiga) forest vegetation; it is characterized by abundance of lakes. The Region is divided into 17 discrete landscape areas that are classified in 6 groups. The author uses the landscape-dynamical approach to the analysis of recent (from 2-3 to 40-50 yr) environmental changes in the region, caused by human activities: forest felling, fires, peat excavation, agriculture, recreational development etc. The following processes are observed: vegetation successions after clearcutting and selective logging; effects of forest fires on the spreading and conservation of pine forests; consequences of peatland drainage; landscape effects of collective farming and gardening; forest succession from pine and deciduous tree dominance towards spruce dominance (observable in all landscape regions); natural vegetation succession on former Finnish arable lands (two types of scenarios: forest succession or development of sedge meadows).

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)217-221
Number of pages5
JournalHydrobiologia
Volume322
Issue number1-3
DOIs
StatePublished - 1996

    Research areas

  • human impact, Ladoga Region, landscape dynamics, landscape ecology, long-term changes

    Scopus subject areas

  • Aquatic Science

ID: 75334264