Title
Pre-Ural fir-spruce forests (Picea obovata, Abies sibirica) with mosses, dwarf shrubs and ferns (Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Dryopteris dilatata)
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Russia: western foreland of the northern Ural (interfluvial region of Kama and Vyčegda)
area frequency
65 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
No details
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Four-layered forest stands with predominant Picea obovata, a substantial participation of Abies sibirica (up to 45 % of the wood biomass) and small admixtures of Betula pubescens in the tree layer. Canopy closure 60-90 % where trees aged 120-130 years are 20-24 m high. The shrub layer is open (10-40 % degree of coverage) and irregularly developed (particularly in clearings). The dwarf-shrub-rich herb layer is interspersed (50-80 % degree of coverage). The moss layer is well developed (60-80 % degree of coverage). From south to north both the tree height and the wood phytomass decrease. Forests with dominating Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Oxalis acetosella, Vaccinium myrtillus and Equisetum sylvaticum are the most widespread.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Picea obovata, Abies sibirica, admixed Betula pubescens
Shrub layer
Sorbus aucuparia subsp. sibirica, Rosa acicularis, Rosa majalis, Prunus padus, Lonicera pallasii, Juniperus communis
Herb layer
Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Linnaea borealis, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Dryopteris dilatata, Oxalis acetosella, Maianthemum bifolium, Trientalis europaea, Lycopodium annotinum, Lycopodium clavatum, Equisetum sylvaticum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Hylocomium splendens, Pleurozium schreberi, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Ptilium crista-castrensis
Diagnostically important species
Picea obovata, Abies sibirica; Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Dryopteris dilatata, Oxalis acetosella
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
Valley spruce forests.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D4, D5, D6, D11, D12, D13), spruce-fir forests (D14), pine forests (D45, D47, D48, D49), raised bogs (S3), tree-rich raised bogs (S12), brown mires (S23), alder carrs (T1), alluvial forests (U3).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Fir-spruce plantations, secondary birch (Betula pubescens) and asp stands (Populus tremula).
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
No details
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
shallow undulating land ridges in the eastern Ural foothills.
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; 220-280 m
Geology (bedrock)
glacial and fluvioglacial sediments (Pleistocene above Triassic, Jurassic)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
podzolic soils without traces of gleization and without peat cover; (dystric podzoluvisols)
soil texture
sandy or weakly sandy loam
soil moisture, water balance
fresh
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VIII1, VIII2
average annual temperature
0-1 °C
average annual precipitation
500-550 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 17-18 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January -17 to -16 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
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Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
In the northern part of their range these forests have remained preserved in their typical form; they have been damaged in the southern part by clearings, a fact manifested by an increase in the proportion of Betula pubescens in the stands.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, forest fires.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of typical natural stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia:interfluvial region of Kama and Vyčegda.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Judin 1954
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by P.L. Gorčakovskij
