Title
Baltic-northwest Sarmatian herb-rich mixed broad-leaved-spruce forests (Picea abies, Picea abies x Picea obovata, Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides, Quercus robur, in the west partly with Carpinus betulus) with Corylus avellana, Euonymus verrucosa, Lamium galeobdolon, Stellaria holostea
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Large-scaled in Esthonia; Latvia; Lithuania; Belarus: northern part of the country; Russia: from the Gulf of Finland to the Volga/Vetluga
area frequency
82 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Piceeta compositae Sukačev 1931; Hepatico-Piceetum, Aegogpodio-Piceetum, Dryoptero-Piceetum.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
A spaciously distributed mapping unit occupying a wide range of sites with a clear north-south as well as a west-east gradient. Mainly meso- to eutraphent herb-rich broad-leaved spruce mixed woods sometimes dominating with spruce and sometimes with nemoral deciduous trees. In the undergrowth there are mainly demanding nemoral shrub and herb species comparable with the south-west and southern neighbouring oak-hornbeam and small-leaved lime-pedunculate oak forests. The tree layer is closed as a rule and luxuriant; the shrub layer is open; the herb layer is often continuously covering, with a geophyte-rich spring aspect, sometimes fern-rich; the moss layer is usually sparse.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
predominately Picea abies, with different shares of Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior, Ulmus glabra (broad-leaved trees partly in the underwood)
Shrub layer
Young growth of the tree species; Corylus avellana, Sorbus aucuparia, Euonymus verrucosa, Daphne mezereum, Lonicera xylosteum, Malus sylvestris, Frangula alnus, Viburnum opulus, Rubus idaeus; additionally in the west: Euonymus europaea, Ribes alpinum, Rhamnus cathartica
Herb layer
Stellaria holostea, Lamium galeobdolon, Milium effusum, Carex pilosa, Mercurialis perennis, Pulmonaria obscura, Actaea spicata, Melampyrum nemorosum, Viola mirabilis, Paris quadrifolia, Galium odoratum, Lathyrus vernus, Hepatica nobilis, Aegopodium podagraria, Ajuga reptans; Anemone nemorosa, Anemone ranunculoides, Asarum europaeum, Gagea lutea, Ranunculus ficaria, Oxalis acetosella, Fragaria vesca, Convallaria majalis, Carex digitata; Dryopteris carthusiana, Dryopteris dilatata, Dryopteris filix-mas, Dryopteris expansa, Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Athyrium filix-femina, Phegopteris connectilis, Equisetum sylvaticum, Urtica dioica, Festuca gigantea, Stachys sylvatica
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Pleurozium schreberi, Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus, Brachythecium stronglyei, Brachythecium salebrosum, Plagiomnium affine, Climacium dendroides, Rhizomnium punctatum
Diagnostically important species
Picea abies, Tilia cordata, Acer platanoides, Quercus robur, Fraxinus excelsior; Corylus avellana, Euonymus verrucosa; Stellaria holostea, Lamium galeobdolon, Aegopodium podagraria, Carex pilosa, Lathyrus vernus, Ranunculus cassubicus
Ecological variants
different formation types depending on soil humidity and trophy, may be moist, fern-rich, precious wood rich formation types; transitions to neighbouring forest communities.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
In the north the spruce plays the dominating role, while to the south the proportion of broad-leaved trees increases. Nemoral tree species reach their northern limits here; in cold winters they freeze back so that they hardly ever grow in the upper tree layer. To the east Tilia cordata plays a greater role.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
small area occurrences of southern boreal spruce forests, alder carrs, fens and raised bogs, as well as alluvial and moist lowland forests.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D8, D12, D20, D21), pine forests (D47, D48, D49, D55), acidic-soil oak forests (F13), oak-hornbeam forests (F40), lime-pedunculate oak forests (F70), salt vegetation (P21), raised bogs (S2, S9, S12), transition bogs (S20), brown mires (S21, S23, S24), alder carrs (T1), birch carrs (T4), alluvial forests (U5, U11).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
spruce plantations, hardwood plantations, birch and asp pioneer forests, wood-cut communities with Epilobium angustifolium.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pastures, meadows (Arrhenatherion, Cynosurion, Molinion, Calthion).
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
Crop fields
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
Settlements.
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
Plains and hilly country
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland, colline; 0 to 345 m
Geology (bedrock)
fluviatile, glacial and fluvioglacial sediments and scree covers (Holocene, Pleistocene above Old Palaeozoic, Devonian, Carboniferous, Permian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
predominately meso- to eutrophic brown soils, locally grey brown podzolic soils, humus carbonate soils, similigley and gley; (eutric cambisols; orthic luvisols; rendzic leptosols; mollic gleysols)
soil texture
sandy to clayey loam, loamy sand, partly stony
soil moisture, water balance
fresh, locally moderately dry, periodically moist to moist
soil reaction
moderately acidic to neutral
soil fertility
meso- to eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VIII), VIII(VI)1, VIII1
average annual temperature
3-6 °C
average annual precipitation
400-700 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
16-20 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-6 to 0 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Semi-natural forests are seldom preserved, and if so only in small areas.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, timber exploitation, grazing and other agricultural use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Protection of the semi-natural forest remnants, creation of opportunities to regenerate the natural vegetation.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia: in the surroundings of Moscow, in the "Smolensko-Moskovskaja" highlands, at the northern edge of the central Russian plate and in the Klinsko-Dwithrovskaja hill country.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
No details
Most important references (author, year)
Gribova, Isačenko & Lavrenko (Red.) 1980; Haeggström 1983; Hinneri 1972; Högnäs 1966; Jurkevič, Golod & Parfenov 1971; Kajrukstis 1966; Skult 1956; Sukačev 1931
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová and H. Wagner based on documents by V.I. Vasilevič, with completions by J. Sultson
