Biomass and Productivity of Siberian Larch Forest Ecosystems

Abstract

Boreal forests are expected to affect global carbon balance significantly due to their large areas (e.g., Goulden et al. 1998; Schulze et al. 1999; Chapin et al. 2000; Jarvis et al. 2001). Biomass and productivity of boreal forests have been examined mainly in the evergreen taiga established in the regions of nonpermafrost or discontinuous permafrost, e.g., interior Alaska (Van Cleve et al. 1983, 1986; Vogt et al. 1996), northern Canada (Gower et al. 2001; Bhatti et al. 2002; Bond-Lamberty et al. 2002), and northern Europe (Schulze 2000). In contrast, comparable studies are considerably limited in the boreal forests of Siberia, where three Larix species are growing separately in different locations and soils: each of two similar species, Larix gmelinii (Rupr.) Rupr. and L. cajanderi Mayr, dominates in the continuous permafrost regions in Central and Northeastern Siberia, respectively, while Larix sibirica L. grows mainly in the nonpermafrost regions of Western or Mountainous southern Siberia (Abaimov 1995; also see Chaps. 1, 3 and 4).