Forest-tundra soils: types of zones in Russia, features and properties, vegetation

Forest-tundra is the transition zone from the tundra to the taiga, which is located on the territory of Russia in the northeast. The subarctic climate, cold and dry, affects not only the weather but also the formation and characteristics of the soil. Consider the features of forest-tundra soils, what types they are divided into, what vegetation grows on them. How and where forest-tundra soils are used.

Features of the soil in the forest-tundra

The climate of the forest-tundra is similar to the climate of the tundra, but differs from it in warmer summers - at this time the temperature can rise to 15 ºС.Winter is just as cold, the soil freezes deeply and for a long time, all processes stop in it. In the river valleys, the influence of the cold climate weakens a little, there is more vegetation here, and the soil is slightly better developed. In the forest-tundra, despite the small amount of precipitation, moisture exceeds evaporation, there are many lakes and wetlands, which also affects the soils.

The main properties of forest-tundra soils: the fertile layer of such soils is thin, which is why their overall fertile ability is very low. They are thin, the humus layer is small, there are few nutrients and s alts, usually acidic.

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Forest-tundra soils are divided into peaty-gley, peat-bog and gley-podzolic. They are united by the presence of a gley horizon formed under conditions of excessive moisture.

Pety-gley

Typical soils of this type are formed under the influence of prolonged stagnant water, which accumulates in lowlands or in areas with a slight slope. They consist of an upper layer 10-15 cm thick of the remains of moss and shrub litter, a peat layer of 20-50 cm, under them there is a wet gley horizon, bluish-gray above, below with a greenish-blue tint on loams and with a rusty-brown tint on sandstones.

Soils are strongly acidic, acidity decreases slightly in gley horizons; s alt saturation level - 10-50%.

Peat swamps

This type of soil is formed under the action of soil-forming processes that occur in swamps due to excessive moisture and cold climate. The profile consists of peat and peat-gley horizons. The profile for thin soils ranges from 5 to 100 cm, for medium-thick soils - 1-2 m, and for thick ones - over 2 m.

Gley-podzolic

Above is a peaty litter 5-8 cm thick, under it is a thin eluvial-gley horizon, which contains 2-4% of humus and iron compounds. Further lies a transitional bare horizon, which passes into a non-gley parent rock, almost unaffected by soil-forming processes.

The zone of distribution of gley-podzolic soils in the forest-tundra - the border of the northern taiga, watersheds and slopes of riverine hills.

Vegetation

Mosses, grasses, low shrubs, and elfin cedar grow in the forest-tundra. They are interspersed with dwarf trees, mainly spruces and birches, larches, polar willows, and firs. Lots of berries - cranberries, blueberries, cloudberries, blueberries, blueberries, cranberries.

In the river valleys, woody vegetation is denser, it penetrates further into the tundra.Woodlands consist of larch, spruce of different species, birches. Trees are low, sometimes bent to the ground. In the interfluves, sparse forests grow with a cover of lichens. Forests alternate with shrub vegetation

When used

The traditional use of the forest-tundra is pasture for reindeer grazing. They occupy up to 90% of the area. In addition to pastures, the territory of the forest-tundra is used as hunting grounds; gathering of berries and mushrooms is popular here.

Forest-tundra soils, together with northern and middle taiga soils, are included in the zone of focal agriculture. After processing, you can grow greens, onions, cabbage, radishes, root crops and even potatoes here. Only the most undemanding crops grow on such soil, with shallowly penetrating roots, because the fertile layer does not exceed 20 cm.Because of this, as well as the lack of heat, it is problematic to grow fruit trees or shrubs here.

Measures to improve forest-tundra soils: mandatory drainage, improvement of thermal regime and aeration, improvement of nutritional value - application of organic matter and mineral fertilizers, increase in the activity of soil microflora.

On cultivated soils, if fertilizers are applied, it is possible to harvest not only cabbage, forage grasses, potatoes, but also cereals. The most successful is the cultivation of plants on the southern slopes, which warm up better.

Forest-tundra soils are affected by: significant extent from west to east, changing relief; climatic and hydrological conditions also determine the variability in the species diversity of vegetation. Permafrost and excessive moisture explain the characteristics of forest-tundra soils.

Permafrost is present throughout this zone, the intensification of manifestations of the subarctic climate manifests itself from west to east, that is, with an increase in continentality. A significant excess of precipitation over evaporation causes waterlogging of the soil and the appearance of shallow lakes. The forest-tundra is characterized by the formation of sphagnum, hypnum and peat bogs.

Due to low fertility, lack of heat for many months, the soils of the forest-tundra are almost unsuitable for agricultural use. They can grow crops only after significant and permanent improvement, and only those that are cold-resistant and belong to early varieties. By themselves, they can only be used for pastures and as hunting grounds.

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