Experience of Forest Ecological Classification in Assessment of Vegetation Dynamics

Abstract

Due to global climate change and increased forest transformation by humans, accounting for the dynamics of forest ecosystems is becoming a central problem in forestry. We reviewed the success of considering vegetation dynamics in the most influential ecological forest classifications in Russia, the European Union, and North America. Out of the variety of approaches to forest classification, only those that are widely used in forestry and forest inventory were selected. It was found that the system of diagnostic signs developed by genetic forest typology based on the time-stable characteristics of habitats as well as the developed concept of dynamic series of cenosis formation allows us to successfully take into account the dynamics of vegetation. While forest dynamics in European classifications is assessed at a theoretical level, it is also possible to assess forest dynamics in practice due to information obtained from EUNIS habitat classification. In ecological classifications in North America, the problem of vegetation dynamics is most fully solved with ecological site description (ESD), which includes potential vegetation and disturbance factors in the classification features. In habitat type classification (HTC) and biogeoclimatic ecosystem classification (BEC), vegetation dynamics is accounted based on testing the diagnostic species and other signs of potential vegetation for resistance to natural and anthropogenic disturbances. Understanding of vegetation–environment associations is fundamental in forming proper forest management methods and improving existing classification structures. We believe that this topic is relevant as part of the ongoing search for new solutions within all significant forest ecological classifications.

Forest Governance in Nepal concerning Sustainable Community Forest Management and Red Panda Conservation

“…Forest ecological classifications (forest typology) are a generally recognized basis for forest management [66][67][68]. There is different forest ecological classification information used in different parts of the world, as well as Nepal as a forest management base.…”

Deep Ecology, Biodiversity and Assisted Natural Regeneration of European Hemiboreal Forests

“…Usually, it ranges from tree genetic variation characteristics (in terms of regeneration vs. canopy compositions) to multi-population structures reflected in disturbance and management regimes. To enhance the adaptive potential and associated ecosystem services of forests, we proposed a conceptual framework for hemiboreal tree dynamics based on a dynamic typology of forest communities [13,14,18,19,[41][42][43][44][45][46] and forest sites defined by field layer-canopy dominants, on-site soil fertility and moisture [18,47], and four types of tree regeneration strategies [33][34][35][37][38][39]48] (Table 1). It follows the Lithuanian classification of forest types and the layer dominants: forest site type, forest type series (field flora), and dominant and secondary tree species [18].…”

“…It follows the Lithuanian classification of forest types and the layer dominants: forest site type, forest type series (field flora), and dominant and secondary tree species [18]. The three dynamic forest habitat types in our conceptual framework represent general descriptions of plant community types that reflect the dynamics of vegetation cover that occur in the course of natural disturbances [13]. In hemiboreal forests, there are three main types of natural disturbance regimes that determine the success of natural selection: (1) gap dynamics caused by the death of individual trees or small groups of trees in the absence of fire; (2) successional development after severe stand-replacing disturbances, such as crown fires, large windthrows, pest outbreaks, etc.…”

“…However, traditional forest management, climate change and increased disturbances have disrupted the relative stability of tree species composition in combination with the edaphic site conditions in European hemiboreal forests [13,14]. This is a key problem.…”

Regeneration of Pinus sibirica Du Tour in the Mountain Tundra of the Northern Urals against the Background of Climate Warming

“…Climate change can also exacerbate the effect of other factors on vegetation, as is the case with man-made pollution [4,5]. In this regard, the climate-vegetation problem is recognized as one of the most urgent in ecology and biogeography [1,2,[6][7][8][9][10][11].…”