%0 Articles
%T Long-term dynamics in growth of Scots pine and Siberian spruce in Komi Republic (European part of Russia)
%A Lopatin, Eugene
%D 2007
%J Dissertationes Forestales
%V 2007
%N 53
%R doi:10.14214/df.53
%U http://dissertationesforestales.fi/article/1835
%X The main objective was to investigate the long-term growth dynamics of Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris L.) and Siberian spruce (Picea obovata Lebed.) trees in the Komi Republic, in the currently changing environment.

Positive long-term growth trends of Scots pine and Siberian spruce were identified in the Komi Republic using empirical data from radial growth and height growth analysis in the forest-tundra transition zone, the northern taiga zone, the middle taiga zone, and the southern taiga zone. The statistically significant increase in height increment of 40% for Siberian spruce and 30% for Scots pine was identified for the whole Komi Republic. Within this region statistically significant increases were found in the middle taiga zone for Siberian spruce by 240%, Scots pine 140%, and in the northern taiga for Siberian spruce by 164%. Increases in the radial growth of Siberian spruce in the forest-tundra was 134% while in the northern taiga zone it was 35% over successive 50 year periods from 1901 to 1950 and from 1951 to 2000. In the middle taiga zone a 76% increase in radial growth of spruce was found (over 100 years), whilst in the southern taiga zone the changes were not statistically significant. The increase in radial growth of Scots pine in the northern taiga zone was 32%. In the middle taiga zone the radial growth increase in Scots pine was 55% and in the southern taiga zone the changes were not statistically significant.

During the last 20 years, a temperature increase was recorded by all the meteorological stations in Komi Republic; whilst levels of precipitation have been increasing for the last 40 years ago. This is reflected in the radial increment of Siberian spruce and Scots pine. Thus, climate change could partly explain the increased site productivity. The total variance explained by temperature varied from 22% to 41% and precipitation from 19% to 38%.