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Space Research Institute of the Russian Academy Forest Ecology and Production Center of the Global Forest Watch Greenpeace Russia

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L E G E N D Bartalev S.A., Ershov D.V., Isaev A.S., Nov
oku k

ril
Potapov P.V., Turubanova S.A., Yaroshenko A.Yu. Barn zne ns
Open canopy Closed canopy
aul tsk h ali
ak

Ku
forests forests Russia's Forests Abaka o-S
Percent Tree Cover 10-39% 40-100%
Dominating Forest Types and Their Canopy Density n hn
Gor uz

r
no- Y

u r R iv e
Spruce and Fir Forest Scale 1 : 14 000 000 Alta
ysk
Spruce, fir and Siberian pine dominate, often with presence of birch, aspen, Moscow, 2004

Am
ke
pine and larch. Other broadleaved deciduous species and Korean pine are

La
Forests are defined as areas with at least 10% tree

al
present along the southern border of European Russia and in the south of

yk
Chita ensk n vsk
zha

Ba
cover, according to the Global Percent Tree Cover
the Russian Far East.
Kyzyl Irkutsk Ulan-Ude ove shch
i r o bid a b aro
map (Reference 2). Areas with 10% to 39% are con- Blag B Kh
Pine Forest sidered open canopy forests, while closed canopy for-
N
Scotch pine dominates, usually with presence of spruce, birch and aspen ests have greater than 40% tree cover. Dominating PA
and/or larch at the northeastern edge. species and species groups are shown according to JA
NA
Larch Forest
the map of the forests of the USSR (Reference 3),
CHI 40°
Larch of different species dominates, often with presence of birch and
published in 1990, except for those places where a MONGOLIA
aspen. Other species (pine, spruce, Siberian pine) may be mixed along the comparison with the land cover map of Northern
southern and western borders of Russia. In the mountains of the Russian Eurasia (Reference 1), published in 2003, indicates
Far East larch species often have undergrowth of Siberian pine. that the species composition has changed. Areas Spruce and Fir Forest Pine Forest Larch Forest Broadleaved Deciduous Forest
where deciduous or mixed forest has replaced coni--
Broadleaved Deciduous Forest tok
ferous forest are categorized as "birch-aspen and
di vos Scale 1:14 000 000
Broadleaved deciduous species dominate (oak, lime, ash, maple, elm and in mixed forest." Areas with other types of species Vla Azimuthal projection
southern European Russia also beech, chestnut and hornbeam). In
change (rare in comparison with the previous case)
mountainous areas (Caucasus, Southern Ural, Sikhote-Alin) with
significant presence of conifers such as spruce, fir and Korean pine. are classified based on expert interpretation of the
References
two compared maps (References 1 and 3).
1. Bartalev S.A., Belward A.S., Erchov D.V., Isaev A.S. A New SPOT4-VEGETATION Derived
Stone Birch Forest Potential forest areas, consisting mainly of agricultu- Land Cover Map of Northern Eurasia. - International Journal of Remote Sensing. - 2003. -
Stone birch dominates, often with presence of larch trees or patches of ral and other non-forest managed ecosystems, are Vol.24. - No.9 - P. 1977-1982
trees. In Kamchatka this forest has undergrowth of mountain pine, and in shown according to the map "Vegetation of the 2. Hansen M.C., DeFries R.S., Townshend J.R.G., Carroll M., Dimiceli C., Sohlberg R. A.
the mountains of Primorye and Sakhalin with presence of spruce and fir. Global Percent Tree Cover at a Spatial Resolution of 500 Meters: First Results of the MODIS
USSR" (Reference 4). Boundaries of this category are Vegetation Continuous Fields Algorithm (http://modis.umiacs.umd.edu/productvcf.htm).
uncertain and determined based on expert opinion.
Dwarf Pine Forest Stone Birch Forest Dwarf Pine Forest Birch-Aspen Forest Areas of Potential Forest 3. The Forests of the USSR: Map Scale 1:2500000, prepared by the department of the forest
Dwarf pine dominates in patches or shrubby forest, often with a sparse The map is intended for educational use. cartography of Souzgiprosleskhoza. M.G. Garsia, ed. Moscow: GUGK, 1990.
upper storey of larch or stone birch. Latin names of trees, that are mentioned in legend: 4. Vegetation of the USSR (for higher educational institutions): Map Scale 1:4000000.
T.I. Isachenko, ed. Minsk: GUGK, 1990.
ash - Fraxinus sp.; aspen - Populus tremula; beech - Fagus
Birch-Aspen and Mixed Forest sp.; birch - Betula sp.; stone birch - Betula ermanii; 5. Digital chart of the world. Environmental Science Research Institute, 1999.
Birch, aspen and gray alder dominate, with presence of coniferous trees or chestnut - Castanea sativa; elm - Ulmus sp.; fir - Abies sp.;
patches of trees. In most cases, this forest follows logging, clearing or gray alder - Alnus incana; hornbeam - Carpinus betulus;
forest fires. larch - Larix sp.; lime - Tilia sp.; maple - Acer sp.; oak -
Quercus sp.; pine - Pinus sp.; Siberian pine - P. sibirica;
Areas of Potential Forest Korean pine - P. koraiensis; Scots pine - P. sylvestris; dwarf
Agricultural and other non-forest ecosystems in which climate and soils pine - P. pumila; spruce - Picea sp.
are suitable for forest growth. Photos: Dahno T.V., Kantor V.A., Kiritchok E.I.,
Piskareva S.B., Potapov P.V. This work was supported by the John D. and Catharine T. MacArthur Foundation