Current vegetation dynamics of the “forest-mountain tundra” ecotones of Lake Baikal coastal ranges

Abstract

During last decades, new trends appeared in the ecotones of the upper boundary of forests at the ridges surrounding Lake Baikal (Khamar-Daban and Baikal'sky Ridge): ones to advance of wood species (Pinus sibirica Du Tour, Abies sibirica Ledeb., Larix sibirica Ledeb., Larix dahurica Lawson) out of timber stands into the area of subgoltsy with Pinus pumila (Pallas) Regel. up to mountain tundras. In average, this is from 100 to 200 -300 meters (maximum up to 500 m) in linear distance from the margin of dense timber stand. A burst of forests renewal occurred in 1989-1995, it resulted probably from a high productivity of the seeds of wood species due to warmer winters in 1980ies-1990ies which favoured the formation of favourable climate-edaphic conditions for the development of forest communities above the forests boundary on the ridges surrounding Lake Baikal.