Title
Middle and south Ural herb-rich spruce-fir forests (Abies sibirica, Picea obovata ), in understorey with Tilia cordata, with Crepis sibirica, Anemone altaica, Cinna latifolia
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Russia: large-scaled on the western escarpment of the central and western Ural
area frequency
4 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 herb-rich spruce fir forests. mixed stands of Picea obovata and Abies sibirica, of which the latter dominates slightly. Regular admixtures of Betula pubescens. The height of spruce and fir in mature stands reaches 15-18 m with a 60-80 % degree of coverage. The appearance of Tilia cordata in the undergrowth is characteristic, mostly in shrub form with thin, horizontally sprouting vegetative stems. The low-lying form is determined by the snow pressure, avalanches on the slopes as well as the dying of shoots emerging from the snow covering. The herb layer is quite interspersed (30-40 % degree of coverage) and unevenly distributed. On clearings between trees, forest tall herbs and grasses grow, while at shady places ferns and boreal forest species occur. Mosses are found only at putrefying timber.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Abies sibirica, Picea obovata, admixed Betula pubescens
Shrub layer
Tilia cordata, Lonicera xylosteum, Lonicera altaica, Sorbus aucuparia subsp. sibirica
Herb layer
boreal forest species: Maianthemum bifolium, Oxalis acetosella, Trientalis europaea, Solidago virgaurea, Milium effusum, Melica nutans, Cinna latifolia; Uralian-Siberian tall herbs and herbs: Crepis sibirica, Aconitum lycoctonum subsp. lycoctonum, Anemone altaica; ferns: Gymnocarpium dryopteris, Dryopteris dilatata, Diplazium sibiricum, nemoral plants of the mixed broad-leaved forest: Galium odoratum, Stellaria holostea, Asarum europaeum, Lathyrus vernus
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Rhytidiadelphus triquetrus among others
Diagnostically important species
Abies sibirica, Picea obovata, Tilia cordata; Crepis sibirica, Anemone altaica, Diplazium sibiricum, Cinna latifolia
Ecological variants
typical, fern and tall herb-rich formation types.
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
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)
east-boreal spruce and fir-spruce forests(D8, D10, D12, D14, D20, D23), pine forests (D51, D58, D59), lime-pedunculate oak forests (F74).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
No details
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
Uplands, very inclined to steep slopes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
montane; 350-700 (1000 m), [on the map up to 1600 m!!]
Geology (bedrock)
limestone and other base-rich rocks (Palaeozoic: Carboniferous, Devonian; Precambrian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
humus carbonate soils and base-rich mountain brown soils; (rendzic leptosols; eutric and humic cambisols)
soil moisture, water balance
fresh
soil reaction
weakly acidic to neutral
soil fertility
mesotrophic to meso-eutrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VIII1, VIII(VI)4, VII(VIII)
average annual temperature
0-1 °C
average annual precipitation
650-750 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July Å17 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January Å -17 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
Closed layer of snow in winter.
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
Over the majority of its range the forest remains preserved in semi-natural stands.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
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causes of endangerment
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required measures for protection and restitution
Establishment of representative conservation areas.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia: central and south Ural.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Igošina 1964
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by P.L. Gorčakovskij
