Coniferous trees in the study area - Protected areas and high conservation value forests in the

Russian larch is a rather typical conifer species in the eastern part of the study area, from the southern boreal zone to the timberline (east of the Republic of Karelia to the Ural Mountains). It can in this region form pure stands or grow in spruce or pine forests.

Spruce-dominated coniferous forests dominate the landscape in parts of the study (map 8). The landscape analysis on spruce forests (which include also Siberian fir) demonstrates that spruce is the characteristic species of some scattered old growth natural forests in some northern areas of Finland and Sweden. It is also the characteristic species of large Russian intact forest massifs in the Republic of Komi along the Ural Mountains, and in the northern part of Arkhangelsk Region.

There is a fairly well connected belt of spruce-dominated forest along the Scandes in Sweden. In northern Finland there is no continuous belt of spruce-dominated forests along the northern timberline. The structure is more patchy, probably reflecting soil conditions.

Spruce is a typical species of forests with fertile soil in mesic habitats. It has been cultivated a lot for forestry purposes in Finland and Sweden and there are plenty of young spruce forests in both countries. The pattern of spruce accumulation on rich and moist soils is very obvious in Sweden and Finland (map 9).

Finland seems to differ from neighboring countries also regarding the amount of conifers. With regard to spruce the situation is opposite as compared to birch, there seems to be much higher volumes of spruce at least in southern Finland as compared to the adjacent areas of Sweden and Russia. During the slash and burning era much of the Finnish forests were dominated by pine and deciduous trees. The area of pristine spruce forests was low and natural spruce forests were scattered in the forest landscape. The amount of spruce has increased in southern Finland during the whole 1900s due to active cultivation, effective elimination of forest fires, and natural regeneration.

Map 8. Distribution of spruce-dominated coniferous forests in the study area and in southern Finland outside the study area. u

Map 9. Proportion of spruce-dominated coniferous forests in the landscape in the study area and in southern Finland (outside the study area). The map is based on moving window analysis where the distance to the closest spruce-dominated coniferous forest along a two kilometer radius shows the abundance of mature spruce-dominated forests in the landscape. uu

Map 10. Proportion of pine-dominated coniferous forests on mineral soil in the landscape in the study area and in southern Finland (outside the study area). The map is based on moving window analysis where the distance to the closest pine forest along a two kilometer radius shows the abundance of mature pine-dominated forests

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The distribution pattern and development of spruce-dominated forests in Russia is somewhat different as compared to Finland and Sweden. Spruce is obviously returning naturally to many of the areas that are now dominated by deciduous or mixed stands. The process is much affected by different forestry practices.

In Russia regeneration after final felling has been largely based on natural regeneration and the process of spruce recovery is slower than in Finland or Sweden, where commercial spruce stands are sown or planted, and a part or most of the deciduous trees are removed actively from seedling stands and young plantations.

Pine is a pioneer tree species of succession after fires especially on dry and semi-dry sites, but also on richer soils. It is also more or less a climax tree on semi-dry soils and on bedrock outcrops.

Like many other tree species of the Barents Region, pine is characterized by infraspecific morphological and genetic latitudinal variations. Pine is sensitive to snow damage due to its large branches and it can be completely outcompeted by spruce forests on boreal hills with a heavy snow load. In the very north, pine trees are characterized by short branches and are more adapted to snowy conditions.

Like spruce, pine is also favored in forestry, and it has been planted a lot during the last century in Finland and in Sweden. Some of these plantations have taken place at sites which would naturally suit spruce better. In these mesic sites pine is slowly replaced naturally by spruce if there is no regenerating fire.

In Fennoscandia habitats and soils suitable for pine are common. The majority of pine forests on dry and poor soils and xeric environments are concentrated to the Fennoscandian Shield in Sweden, Finland and the Republic of Karelia.

However, not only the natural conditions but also the use of pine as commercial planted tree in commercial forests in the Nordic countries contributes to this situation. The pattern of occurrence is different outside Fennoscandia due to geomorphology and soil characteristics. A lot of Russian pine forests are naturally concentrated to the Fennoscandian Shield in the Republic of Karelia. Outside it, pine-dominated forests are concentrated especially on sandy soils. Pine is also a species of poor forested mires and bogs.

The two maps (maps 9 and 10) compiled in the study show that the possibilities to maintain well-connected pine and spruce forest areas are quite different in the various parts of the Barents region (see also Chapter 6.4).

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In document Protected areas and high conservation value forests in the Barents Euro-Arctic Region – Sweden, Finland and Russia (sivua 38-42)