Evaluation of fire carbon emissions in pine and oak forests of the Yalta mountain forest natural reserve

We performed studies for a 10-year period for carbon emissions in carbon dioxide due to the influence of the pyrogenic factor on the stand, undergrowth and litter in uneven-aged stands of the southern macroslope of the Crimean Mountains. The relevance of the chosen topic is due to the fact that work to assess the volume of carbon dioxide emissions from burning in the forests of Crimea has not previously been carried out. As a result of the study on the example of pine and oak phytocenoses of the Yalta mountain-forest nature reserve, which occupy the largest areas, carbon emission in the composition of carbon dioxide released during fires over a 10-year period was calculated. This allowed us to estimate its total volumes at the level of 14170 t or 13.03 t/ha. These indices testify to the significant influence of this greenhouse gas on climatic characteristics of the southern coastal ecosystems of the Crimea, to changes in weather characteristics in the direction of increasing droughts in the summer-autumn period, which as a result leads to a weakening of the water protection, climate-control and soil-protective properties of these forests. This trend is confirmed by the meteorological data given in the work from the Ai-Petri station. The method used for estimation of carbon stocks in wooded areas is also used to calculate the actual amount of carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere as a result of fires. It has been tested on the basis of forest plantation data by quarters and areas, taking into account the qualitative and quantitative characteristics of the tree stand, undergrowth, debris layer in long-term records of high and low forest fires, which makes the method proposed in the work an effective tool for assessing the damage to ecosystems caused by the forest fire.