Title
East European psammophytic pine forests (Pinus sylvestris) with dwarf shrubs and herbceous plants (Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Rubus saxatilis, Calamagrostis epigejos, Dianthus arenarius) with Pulsatilla patens, Festuca ovina, Koeleria glauca, Thymus serpyllum, with lichens and mosses
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Esthonia; Latvia; Lithuania; Belarus: northern half of the country; Russia: central Russian lowlands as far as to the Ural foreland
area frequency
257 polygons.
Scientific names of main plant communities and their most common synonyms (with author citation)
Peucedano-Pinetum Matuszkiewicz 1973, Pinetum xeroherboso-cladinosum Ničenko 1960, Pinetum hylocomiosum Stankov 1928.
Structural feature of the main community(ies) (layers, life-forms, etc.)
Lichen-pine forests (stand quality III) and moss-pine forests (stand-quality I-III). Shrub layer is usually absent, occasional Juniperus communis, sometimes Chamaecytisus ruthenicus. Open dwarf shrub-rich herb layer with meso-xerophytic species. Lichens and mosses with a smaller degree of coverage than in boreal forests (reducing further towards the south).
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Pinus sylvestris, partly with Quercus robur
Shrub layer
scattered Juniperus communis, Chamaecytisus ruthenicus
Herb layer
Calluna vulgaris, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Carex ericetorum, Festuca ovina, Polygonatum odoratum, Viola rupestris, Rubus saxatilis, often with Koeleria glauca, Dianthus arenarius, Pulsatilla patens, Veronica spicata, Thymus serpyllum; moss-pine forests: Calamagrostis epigejos, Scorzonera humilis, Chimaphila umbellata, Hypochaeris maculata, Geranium sanguineum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Cladina rangiferina, Cladina arbuscula, Cladina stellaris, Cladonia uncialis, Cladonia deformis, Cladonia coccifera; Pleurozium schreberi, Dicranum polysetum
Diagnostically important species
Pinus sylvestris; Pulsatilla patens, Festuca ovina, Thymus serpyllum, Polygonatum odoratum, Koeleria glauca
Ecological variants
No details
Geographical variants (geogr. differential species)
in the south with Carpinus betulus in the undergrowth, in the east with Larix sibirica.
Natural accompanying vegetation (most important units in complex with the name giving mapping unit, scientific names)
small area incidences of brown-moss fens, alder carrs, hygrophilous pine forests; East European meadow steppes.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
spruce forests (D4, D8, D10, D12, D19, D20), pine forests (D47, D48, D55, D56), acidic-soil oak forests (F13), lime-pedunculate oak forests (F70), salt vegetation (P21), raised bogs (S2, S9), tree-rich raised bogs (S12), transition bogs (S20), brown mires (S23, S24), alder carrs (T1), birch carrs (T4), moist and alluvial forests (U3, U5, U6, U10, U12).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
Pine plantations, secondary stands with birches and asps.
grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Pasture grounds.
arable land (characteristic weed communities)
No details
settlements (typical ruderal vegetation)
No details
Site conditions of the mapping unit
Landscape type, geomorphology
weakly undulating relief, locally inland sand dunes
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline
Geology (bedrock)
glacial and fluvioglacial sediments (Pleistocene above Cretaceous, Triassic, Permian, Devonian)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
weakly podzolic sand soils; (orthic podzols; dystric podzoluvisols)
soil moisture, water balance
moderately dry to dry
soil reaction
strongly to moderately acidic
soil fertility
oligo-mesotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VI(VIII), VIII(VI)1
average annual temperature
4-6 °C
average annual precipitation
400-800 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
20-24 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
-12 °C to -3 °C
local climate or other climatic peculiarities
---
Importance for nature protection
Present state and development trend of natural vegetation (degree of endangerment)
The forests associated with extremely dry sites suffer strongly from fire damage; the disrupted soil layer regenerates itself only slowly.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
No details
causes of endangerment
Forest clearing, fires, recreational and leisure use.
required measures for protection and restitution
Fire protection, carefully planned wood cutting, protection of representative stands.
Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia: Zapovednik Prioksko-Terrasnij, Okskij, Mordovskij, Volžsko-Kamskij.
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Gribova, Isačenko & Lavrenko (Red.) 1980; Matuszkiewicz 1984; Matuszkiewicz & Matuszkiewicz 1973; Ničenko 1960a; Rysin 1975; Sambuk 1986a; Smirnova 1928; Vasilevič 1961; Zinserling 1932
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by V.I. Vasilevič and S.G. Sambuk
