Kangur, A., Belova, O., Voolma, K. and Jõgiste, K. 2009. Contrasting Factors Causing Disturbances in Forest Ecosystems: Observations and Experiments.  Baltic Forestry 15(2): 139-142. (Preface)

The causes for disturbances have complex patterns depending on anthropogenic influence on forest ecosystems. Different management intensity and pattern are intermixing with disturbances. Intensively managed forest is sensitive to disturbances, and risk is higher. The management implicitly of explicitly involves the disturbances and this has important analysis task to create reliable models. Disturbances operate at multiple spatial scales and often disturbances at different scales interact, producing multi-scale habitat diversity, from microhabitats to landscape patterns. Therefore, it becomes important to know the “after effect” from the creation of artificial mixtures mimicking the natural regeneration processes and patterns. The effects of different disturbance agents on three different spatial ecosystem levels are described. Baltic States are quite unique forest landscape laying in the borderline of different management intensity. We could call this as an ecotone between management regimes is not understood uniformly.
Forestry is an essential component in the ecological, economical, and social structure of both the Nordic Countries and the Baltic States. Sustainable ecosystem management requires an understanding of the generative ecosystem process. These include natural disturbance processes and the responses of ecosystems to disturbances. The overall goal of the SNS (Nordic Forest Research Cooperation Committee) network is to develop and promote an active network in both the study of natural disturbance regimes and in an ecosystem based approach to forest management in the Baltic region. The aims of the SNS network have been addressed by linking and connecting scientists, researchers, teachers and students working on the field of forest disturbances. For keeping the network contacts alive an annual meetings have been organized. The summary of network meetings is presented.