Title
Northeast European open pine forests (Pinus sylvestris), alternating with open pine and spruce forests (Pinus sylvestris, Picea obovata) on half-bog soils with Betula pubescens and with mires
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
East Finland; Russia: Kola peninsula, large-scaled in central and north Carelia, insular scattered to the Timan ridge
area frequency
42 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
see D2, D3, D42, D43, S15.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Dry dwarf shrub and lichen-rich as well as lichen-moss-pine forests (D42) on ridges and at slopes of hills alternating with waterlogged peaty soil pine forests (D43) in hollows and at the edge of mires, as well as dwarf shrub and moss-rich spruce forests (D2) at low elevations alternating with waterlogged spruce forests (D3) along brooks and in valleys; locally raised wooded bogs, transitional mires and aapa mires.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus sylvestris, Picea obovata, Betula pubescens s. l.
Herb layer
dwarf shrubs and bog plants (compare with D42, D43)
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
compare D42, D43
Diagnostically important species
Pinus sylvestris, Picea obovata, Betula pubescens s. l.; Empetrum hermaphroditum, Ledum palustre, Vaccinium uliginosum, Vaccinium oxycoccos, among others
Ecological variants
see the point 'stand structure'
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
No details
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
cf. D42, D43.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
arctic shrub tundras (B19), mountain tundras (B36), alpine dwarf shrub vegetation (B42), birch open woodlands (C1, C2, C3), spruce forests (D1, D2, D3, D4, D6), pine forests (D42, D43, D45), raised bogs (S2, S3, S4), aapa mires (S15, S16), transition bogs (S18/19), brown mires (S23).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pine and less often larch plantations, pioneer stages of coniferous forests after fire and forest clearance.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
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arable land (characteristic weed communities)
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settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
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Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
hilly and weakly undulating lowland areas
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; 0-460 m
Geology (bedrock)
peat above glacial and fluvioglacial sediments (Pleistocene above Cambrian, Triassic, Jurassic, Cretaceous); granite, gneiss (Precambrian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
podzole, gley-podzole, peaty soil-gley, peat soils; (orthic and gleyic podzols, histic gleysols; dystric histosols)
soil texture
sand to loamy sand, partly stony
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to wet
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic to mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VIII1, VIII2, VIII(IX)2
average annual temperature
-4 to 1 °C
average annual precipitation
400-600 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
12-16 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
< -10 °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)
Forests severely damaged, dry pine forests have been cleared almost everywhere. Sometimes protected in Karelia and in Finland.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
severe clearing, fire.
required measures for protection and restitution
No details
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia: Zapovednik Kostomukšskij (Carelia).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Gribova, Isačenko & Lavrenko (Red.) 1980; Jurkovskaja 1992
Compiled by
T.K. Jurkovskaja, completed by U. Bohn
