Effect of prescribed burning on temperate and boreal forest biodiversity: a systematic review

A systematic review of 244 studies on prescribed burning in temperate and boreal forests found significant positive effects on vascular plant richness and herbaceous plant richness in broadleaf forests, though outcomes remain difficult to predict and may harm conservation-dependent taxa.

• The review's quantitative synthesis, based on 82 studies and 219 comparisons, found that prescribed burning significantly increased the richness of vascular plants, non-native vascular plants, and herbaceous plants specifically within broadleaf forests.
• The effect of burning on herbaceous plant richness is significantly influenced by the climate zone, the type of forest, and the amount of time that has passed since the burn occurred.
• The authors caution that prescribed burning can negatively impact taxa that depend on conservation and note that outcomes are hard to predict, necessitating careful planning and monitoring for restoration projects.

APA

Stockholm Environment Institute (2018). Effect of prescribed burning on temperate and boreal forest biodiversity: a systematic review. https://www.sei.org/publications/effect-prescribed-burning-temperate-boreal-forest-biodiversity-systematic-review/

Chicago

Stockholm Environment Institute. Effect of prescribed burning on temperate and boreal forest biodiversity: a systematic review. 2018. https://www.sei.org/publications/effect-prescribed-burning-temperate-boreal-forest-biodiversity-systematic-review/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Stockholm Environment Institute |title=Effect of prescribed burning on temperate and boreal forest biodiversity: a systematic review |date=30 August 2018 |url=https://www.sei.org/publications/effect-prescribed-burning-temperate-boreal-forest-biodiversity-systematic-review/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{stockholmenvironmentinstitute2018effect, author = {{Stockholm Environment Institute}}, title = {{Effect of prescribed burning on temperate and boreal forest biodiversity: a systematic review}}, institution = {Stockholm Environment Institute}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://www.sei.org/publications/effect-prescribed-burning-temperate-boreal-forest-biodiversity-systematic-review/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }