Dynamics of the Ecological State of Soils and Flora after a Forest Fire in the European Part Russia

The 10-year dynamics of the catalase activity of leached chernozem was studied in order to determine the intensity and direction of redox processes in the postpyrogenic ecosystem located in the forest–steppe of the European part of Russia. The results are presented for a study of the formation Pinus sylvestris with the background coordinates of 52°30′39.2″ N, 38°57′30.3″ E and pyrogenic coordinates of 52°30′37.3″ N, 38°57′28″ E of the sites after a forest fire in 2010. The species composition of plants in forest formations was revealed via the laying of test plots with a size of 400 m 2 that included ten described counting sites with a size of 1 × 1 m. The tiers were set according to the height of the trees and grass stand. The plant communities were named according to the listing of the established dominants by coverage. The abundance was counted according to O. Drude’s scale. Three phases of pyrogenic formation recovery have been identified: (1) the phase of ruderal phytocenosis (2010–2012), (2) the phase of the transformation of the ruderal phytocenosis (2014–2017), (3) the initial phase of the restoration of the forest phytocenosis (2018–2020). Analysis of the catalase activity of the soil and the structural ecobiomorphological characteristics of the flora gives a view of the temporal aspect of the restoration of the forest ecosystem in the forest–steppe zone after a fire under the conditions of moisture deficit. The absolute values of the regression coefficient of catalase activity in leached chernozem sharply decrease in the studied series of soils, from the background values (0.34) to the pyrogenic (0.26), and increase 10 years after the fire (0.42). Analysis of the catalase activity and flora structure reflect the 10-year dynamics of the formation of a forest ecosystem with pyrogenic disturbance.