Abstract
Central Kamchatka abounds in virgin old-growth boreal forest, formed primarily by Larix cajanderi and Betula platyphylla in varying proportions. A series of eight 0.25–0.30 ha plots captured the range of forests present in this region and their structure is described. Overall trends in both uplands and lowlands are for higher sites to be dominated by L. cajanderi with an increasing component of B. platyphylla with decreasing altitude. The tree line on wet sites is commonly formed by mono-dominant B. ermanii forests. Basal area ranged from 7.8–38.1 m2/ha and average tree height from 8.3–24.7 m, both being greater in lowland forests. Size distributions varied considerably among plots, though they were consistently more even for L. cajanderi than B. platyphylla. Upland sites also contained a dense subcanopy of Pinus pumila averaging 38% of ground area. Soil characteristics differed among plots, with upland soils being of lower pH and containing more carbon. Comparisons are drawn with boreal forests elsewhere and the main current threats assessed. These forests provide a potential baseline to contrast with more disturbed regions elsewhere in the world and therefore may be used as a target for restoration efforts or to assess the effects of climate change independent of human impacts.
Highlights
The boreal zone contains approximately one third of global forests, with 22% in Russia alone [1].The Kamchatka peninsula lies on the extreme eastern fringe of Russia
In the international literature the principle source of information remains the flora produced by Eric Hulten [2] based on expeditions a century ago, and the region is considered to have a poor level of floristic knowledge [3] despite recent efforts to produce more up-to-date and accessible accounts for the Russian Far East as a whole [4] or Kamchatka itself [5,6]
Dominant species within each plot were determined on the basis of importance values (IV): IV ( x) 50
Summary
The boreal zone contains approximately one third of global forests, with 22% in Russia alone [1]. In the international literature the principle source of information remains the flora produced by Eric Hulten [2] based on expeditions a century ago, and the region is considered to have a poor level of floristic knowledge [3] despite recent efforts to produce more up-to-date and accessible accounts for the Russian Far East as a whole [4] or Kamchatka itself [5,6]. Boreal forests contain approximately 27% of global vegetation carbon and 28% of global soil carbon, but have been burning at an increased rate in recent decades [22,23] This makes them a critical battleground in combating global climate change [1]. It is hoped that drawing attention to these valuable ecological resources will inspire and inform future studies
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