Keywords:stand dynamics / forest-forming process / tree age structure / succession / nature-based management Abstract• This review summarizes early stand-scale studies of pristine forest structures, disturbance regimes and successional patterns carried out in boreal Eurasia. We attempt to reveal, characterize and classify stand dynamic types that can be used as templates for nature-based forest management.• The studies reviewed demonstrate multiple successional pathways in stand development in all types of pristine forests. All-aged stands driven by small-scale disturbances are formed over successional development of several hundreds of years. This endogenous development can be interrupted by standreplacing or partial disturbances leading to successions with even-aged or cohort-structured stands, respectively. In Western Europe, the most common disturbances are windthrows, surface fires and fluctuations in moisture regime; in Eastern Europe and Siberia, the most common disturbances are crown and surface fires and insect outbreaks. Type, return interval and severity of disturbances are strongly influenced by the site conditions and successional stage of a stand.• Based on characteristics of forest stands and disturbance regime, four main types of pristine boreal forest stand dynamics can be distinguished: (1) even-aged, compositional change dynamics, (2) evenaged, mono-dominant dynamics, (3) cohort dynamics and (4) fine-scale gap dynamics. These types can be mimicked in developing scenarios of ecological sustainable forest management in Eurasian boreal forests. Mots-clés :dynamiques forestières / succession forestière / structure d'âge / sylvigénèse / gestion durable Résumé -Structure des peuplements, régimes de perturbation et dynamiques de succession dans les forêts boréales eurasiennes : une revue basée sur des travaux russes.• Cette revue bibliographique résume les résultats de nombreuses études anciennes sur la structure des peuplements forestiers, sur les régimes de perturbation et sur les dynamiques de succession en forêt boréale eurasienne. Une typologie des modes de succession est proposée pour servir de cadre à une gestion forestière proche de la nature.• Les études analysées montrent l'existence de multiples modes de succession et de développe-ment des peuplements dans tous les types de forêts vierges analysées. Des peuplements mélangés comportant des arbres de tous âges se développent en réponse à des perturbations locales avec des dynamiques de plusieurs siècles. Ce développement endogène peut être interrompu par des renouvellements massifs ou des perturbations partielles qui conduisent à des successions basées sur des peuplements équiennes ou structurés en cohortes, respectivement. En Europe occidentale, les perturbations les plus fréquentes sont les chablis, les incendies de surface et des fluctuations des régimes hydriques ; en Europe oriental et en Sibérie, ce sont les incendies de surface et de canopée, et les attaques massives par des insectes.• En se basant sur les caractéristiques des peuplem...

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Due to the unprecedented loss of old-growth forests to harvesting throughout circumboreal regions an understanding of similarities and differences in old-growth dynamics is needed to design effective restoration, management and conservation efforts. This paper reviews concepts, prevalence and variability of old-growth forests across landscapes, and evaluates different stand scale dynamics at the old-growth stage across the circumboreal zone. Oldgrowth historically dominated many boreal forest landscapes in both Eurasia and North America. Throughout much of North America, and to some extent in western Siberia, the natural prevalence and development of old-growth forests are regulated by the occurrence of stand-replacing fires. In eastern North America and Siberia, insect outbreaks may, however, be more important. Insect outbreaks as well as recurrent non-stand replacing surface fires and windthrows, when occurring at the old-growth stage, often form stands characterized by several tree age-class cohorts. This multi age-class forest development type is common in Europe and eastern Siberia but its prevalence and importance in boreal North-America is not well documented. Similarities in successional dynamics across the circumboreal region are found in the development of mono-dominant even-aged stands, the replacement of shade intolerant tree species by shade tolerant species, as well as in all-aged stands driven by smallscale gap dynamics. The message to land managers is that the focus should not only be on setting aside remaining old-growth forests or in restoring static old-growth attributes, but also in emulating natural disturbances and successional dynamics at landscape and regional scales to maintain natural variability in old-growth attributes through time.