These findings refute the myth that ancient or virgin forests still dominate Russia. Such forests now dominate only the northern parts of Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East, and even here, human influence, especially as a cause of forest fires, has become the leading factor affecting vegetation dynamics. In most parts of European Russia and Western Siberia, and the southern parts of Eastern Siberia and the Russian Far East, the forest vegetation has been fundamentally transformed by human activity. No large intact landscapes remain in many of these western and southern areas, while the intact forests that remain are broken up into fragments, too small to sustain the full array of components and functions characteristic of a natural forest landscape.

Without decisive action within the next few years, intact forest landscapes may disappear within whole ecological regions and even vegetation zones. This picture raises serious concerns. The most biodiversity rich and productive forest landscapes of southern Siberia, the Russian Far East, and of European Russia are also the most transformed. These areas are steadily diminishing due to continued extensive "development" of natural resources. The situation is most serious concerning temperate broad leaved and mixed conifer broad leafed forests. Such forests are practically extinct in European Russia. The same fate may befall the forests in the area surrounding the mountain range of Sikhote Alin, which contain the richest biodiversity in Russia. Intact landscapes remain, but only in the most inaccessible mountainous locations. Almost all of the unique, far eastern broad leaved and mixed conifer broad leafed forests have been affected by industrial logging during the last decade.

Decisions about the conservation and use of the remaining intact forest landscapes must no doubt reflect a complex range of ecological, social, and economical factors. At this stage it is reasonable to suggest only that forestry practices observe all possible precautionary measures and make it a concrete goal to preserve sufficiently large and representative reference areas of wild nature. This is especially important and urgent in European Russia and the Southern parts of Siberia and the Russian Far East, where intact forest landscapes are particularly rare and threatened. A reasonable strategy for these areas would be to set aside remaining intact forest landscapes for a limited time, to allow optimal decision making regarding future conservation and land use.