Soil desiccation as indicator of desertification of forest–steppe ecosystems in the Barguzin depression

Abstract

This article presents study data on the status of plant and soil cover in the Barguzin Depression related to soil desiccation as the result of a 3-year drought, which caused the death of natural pine forests and shelterbelts composed of pine and balsam poplar. The main factors of tree death, as well as the soil conditions that favor survival under long-term air drought, have been revealed. A negative trend in the development of forest steppes under climate aridization in the North Baikal region was determined.