%0 Research note
%T Occurrence of fires in the eastern Saariselkä area, north-west Russia
%A Kauhanen, Heikki
%D 2002
%J Silva Fennica
%V 36
%N 1
%R doi:10.14214/sf.569
%U https://silvafennica.fi/article/569
%X The occurrence of fires was studied in the eastern Saariselkä area,  North-West Russia, by using satellite images and topographical maps. In  total, more than 330 burned areas were pinpointed in the study area of  4770 km2. Old burns were concentrated in the eastern part of the study  area, but young burns were more common in the west. Sites affected by  fires in the more recent past were much smaller than those burnt over  earlier. The abundance of burns along rivers and the border surveillance  road provided evidence of human impact. The most significant changes in  the landscape were found in the eastern part of the study area, where  spruce forests had been replaced by birch woodlands.