Title
Pre-Ural open hygrophilous pine-spruce forests (Picea obovata, Pinus sibirica) with dwarf shrubs and mosses (Cornus suecica, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Rubus arcticus, Polytrichum commune, Sphagnum spp.)
Geographical distribution
Country/territory
Russia: northern pre-Ural, mostly on the right bank of the Pečora below the Ilyč mouth, in the basin of the rivers Bolšaja Ljaga and Ilyč
area frequency
18 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.)
Three- to four-layered forest stands whose tree layer is formed by Picea obovata with a more or less significant participation of Pinus sibirica. 12-14 m tree height, rarely 16 m and a canopy closure of 40-60 %. A shrub layer is largely absent. The herb layer is interspersed (30-60 % degree of coverage), while the moss layer is well developed. To the north the stands become increasingly open, the tree height reduces, and the proportion of bog species increases. The most frequent are pine spruce open forests with a covering of Polytrichum commune and Ledum palustre, Vaccinium uliginosum and Vaccinium myrtillus prevailing in the dwarf shrub layer. Formation types with dominant sphagnum species and bog dwarf shrubs are more rare.
Dominant and most frequent species in different layers
Tree layer
Picea obovata, Pinus sibirica, Betula pubescens, Pinus sylvestris
Shrub layer
Rosa acicularis, Sorbus aucuparia subsp. sibirica, Juniperus communis
Herb layer
dwarf shrubs: Ledum palustre, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Vaccinium myrtillus, Vaccinium vitis-idaea, Vaccinium uliginosum, Empetrum nigrum, Andromeda polifolia, Cornus suecica, Rubus chamaemorus, Rubus arcticus; Deschampsia flexuosa, Carex globularis, Equisetum sylvaticum, Linnaea borealis, Luzula pilosa, Melampyrum pratense, Eriophorum vaginatum
Moss layer (incl. lichens)
Polytrichum commune, Sphagnum angustifolium, Sphagnum russowii, Sphagnum girgensohnii, Sphagnum palustre
Diagnostically important species
Picea obovata, Pinus sibirica; Ledum palustre, Chamaedaphne calyculata, Cornus suecica, Rubus arcticus; Polytrichum commune, Sphagnum russowii
Ecological variants
dwarf shrub and peat-moss-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)
Bog communities, occasionally with low-growing pine, in river valleys grass and herb-rich spruce and pine-spruce forests (Calamagrostis langsdorffii, Filipendula ulmaria, Crepis paludosa etc.); aapa mire complexes (S16) in small areas.
Adjoining climax and permanent vegetation (with numbers of mapping units)
mountain tundras (B39), spruce and birch-spruce open woodlands (C6), spruce forests (D2, D3, D11, D13), spruce-fir forests (D14), pine forests (D42), raised bogs (S3), aapa mires (S16).
Land use, substitute communities
forestry (substitute communities, plantations of economic tree-species, scrub)
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grassland (meadows, pastures, herb-rich communities)
Fen communities.
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
flat or weakly inclined locations, often also smaller, hardly noticeable basins/depressions
Altitudinal belt and/or altitudinal range
lowland-colline; 150-180 m
Geology (bedrock)
fluvioglacial (Pleistocene above Triassic, Permian) sediments; Palaeozoic (Silurian, Ordovician)
soil type, also the depth of fine textured earth (soil), stone content; (international nomenclature)
podzolic gleysoils; (gleyic podzols, dystric gleysols)
soil texture
sand to loamy sand, partly peaty soiled
soil moisture, water balance
moist to wet
soil reaction
strongly acidic
soil fertility
oligotrophic
Climate incl. local climate
climate type (following Walter & Lieth)
VIII2
average annual temperature
(-2 to) -1 °C
average annual precipitation
500 mm
average temperature of the warmest month
July 15-16 °C
average temperature of the coldest month
January Å -18 °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)
Near-natural communities, little influenced by man, predominate.
endangered communities, species worthy of protection in natural vegetation
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causes of endangerment
Forest fires.
required measures for protection and restitution
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Localities of representative stands (loci typici) with state of protection
of the natural vegetation
Russia: Zapovednik Pečoro-Ilyčskij (also biosphere reserve).
of characteristic substitute communities worthy of protection
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Most important references (author, year)
Judin 1954; Korčagin 1940
Compiled by
Z. Neuhäuslová based on documents by P.L. Gorčakovskij
