C3: North-east European open birch woodlands (Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii) with Picea obovata, with mosses, dwarf shrubs and lichens (Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens, Dicranum majus, Vaccinium myrtillus, Empetrum hermaphroditum, Cladina stellaris, Cladina arbuscula)

Title

North-east European open birch woodlands (Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii) with Picea obovata, with mosses, dwarf shrubs and lichens (Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens, Dicranum majus, Vaccinium myrtillus, Empetrum hermaphroditum, Cladina stellaris, Cladina arbuscula)

Geographical distribution

Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)

Betula czerepanovii-Empetrum hermaphroditum-Cladina sylvatica-community (Empetro-Betuletum pubescentis Nordhagen1943).

Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)

Very open birch forests, 4-6 m high, four-layered (degree of coverage 10-20 %) with regular participation of Picea obovata. Betula nana dominates in the shrub layer. The herb layer is dwarf shrub-rich with Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Ledum palustre, Empetrum hermaphroditum, and Equisetum sylvaticum. The moss layer contains numerous moss and lichen species.

Dominant and most frequent species in different layers

Diagnostically important species

Betula pubescens subsp. czerepanovii, Picea obovata, Pleurozium schreberi, Hylocomium splendens, Equisetum sylvaticum

Ecological variants

On sand soils with Larix sibirica in the tree layer. Depending on site conditions one finds three variants of birch forests: moss-, lichen- and herb-rich. The moss-rich variant is characterised by typical forest mosses such as Dicranum majus, Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi and Polytrichum strictum. In the herb layer, Vaccinium uliginosum and Vaccinium myrtillus are present, with Ledum palustre under wetter conditions. On peaks and at higher slopes a dwarf shrub-rich layer with Empetrum hermaphroditum develops due to the heavier wind and snow exposure. The lichen-rich variant on loamier-sandy and sandy soils occasionally reaches a 70 % cryptogam coverage with Cladina stellaris, Cladina arbuscula, Cladina rangiferina, Stereocaulon paschale, Cetraria cucullata. One finds the third variant on sandy-loamy soils as well developed open birch forests at wind protected slope bases (10-12 m tree height) with a relatively denser dwarf shrub-rich herb layer in which Equisetum sylvaticum, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium myrtillus, and Ledum palustre prevail. In such open forests the moss layer is weakly developed (mosses 10-15 %, lichens 10 %).

Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)

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Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)

No details

Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)

arctic scrub tundra (B20, B23, B25, B26, B27, B28, B32), open spruce and birch woodlands (C4, C5, C6), spruce forests (D1, D3), pine forests (D42, D44), raised bogs (S3), palsa mires (S14).

Land use, substitute communities

Site conditions of the mapping unit

Importance for nature protection

Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection

Most important references (author, year)

Gribova, Isačenko & Lavrenko (Red.) 1980

Compiled by

Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by S.S. Cholod and S.A. Gribova