Refugium of the Boreal Forests of the Circumpolar Urals

Abstract

The results of studies of the vegetative cover and ontogenetic composition of the cenopopulations of Picea obovata Ledeb. and Larix sibirica Ledeb. in the Gorno-Khadytinskii Forest Reserve, which is the refugium of the northern taiga forests of Western Siberia, have been summarized. According to the Brown–Blanke system, two associations of forests were identified and described, as well as two tundra associations, for comparison. The unique association of the Aconito septentrionalis–Piceetum obovatae taiga forests Zaugolnova et Morozova 2009 were analyzed in detail, and a comparison of these associations was carried out in the Gorno-Khadytinskii and Pechoro-Ilychskii reserves, where these forests are the reference standards of the zonal-type forests. An estimate of the ontogenetic composition of the cenopopulations of P. obovata Ledeb. and L. sibirica Ledeb. is given, as well as the absolute age of the trees of these species.